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Related Experiment Videos

A common plan for dorsoventral patterning in Bilateria

E M De Robertis1, Y Sasai

  • 1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, 90095-1737, USA.

Nature
|March 7, 1996
PubMed
Summary

Animal evolution may have involved a reversal of the dorsoventral axis. This finding, supported by conserved signaling systems, sheds light on the ancestral animal, Urbilateria, which predates arthropods and mammals.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • The concept of dorsoventral axis inversion during animal evolution was first proposed in 1822.
  • Extracellular signaling systems play a crucial role in embryonic cell differentiation in both Drosophila and vertebrates.
  • The ventral side of Drosophila is evolutionarily homologous to the dorsal side of vertebrates.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To confirm the inversion of the dorsoventral axis in animal evolution through functional studies.
  • To elucidate the characteristics of the ancestral animal, Urbilateria, that gave rise to major animal lineages.
  • To highlight the conserved nature of extracellular signaling in embryonic development.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative developmental studies across different animal phyla.

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  • Functional analysis of conserved extracellular signaling pathways.
  • Phylogenetic analysis to reconstruct ancestral traits.

    • Main Results:

    • Functional studies provide strong evidence for a dorsoventral axis inversion during animal evolution.
    • A conserved system of extracellular signals dictates tissue-specific cell allocation in embryos.
    • The ventral region of Drosophila is homologous to the dorsal side of vertebrates, supporting axis inversion.
    • Key characteristics of the ancestral organism, Urbilateria, are being revealed.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings support the hypothesis of a dorsoventral axis inversion in early animal evolution.
    • Conserved signaling pathways underscore a shared developmental ancestry.
    • Urbilateria represents a crucial ancestral form linking diverse animal lineages like arthropods and mammals.