Novel pattern of Brachyury gene expression in hemichordate embryos

Together with echinoderms and chordates, hemichordates constitute the third major group of the deuterostomes, which share a number of common developmental features. The Brachyury gene is responsible for the formation of notochord, the most defining feature of chordates. Therefore, isolation and characterization of the hemichordate homolog of Brachyury is key to understand the origin and evolution of chordates. Here we show that the hemichordate Brachyury gene (PfBra) is expressed in two regions of the gastrula and young tornaria larva, the archenteron invagination region and the stomodeum invagination region.