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Retinoic acid signaling in development: Tissue‐specific functions and evolutionary origins
Author(s) -
CampoPaysaa Florent,
Marlétaz Ferdinand,
Laudet Vincent,
Schubert Michael
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
genesis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.093
H-Index - 110
eISSN - 1526-968X
pISSN - 1526-954X
DOI - 10.1002/dvg.20444
Subject(s) - morphogen , biology , retinoic acid , evolutionary biology , lineage (genetic) , signal transduction , vertebrate , deuterostome , sea urchin , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , gene
Retinoic acid (RA) is a vitamin A‐derived morphogen important for axial patterning and organ formation in developing vertebrates and invertebrate chordates (tunicates and cephalochordates). Recent analyses of genomic data have revealed that the molecular components of the RA signaling cascade are also present in other invertebrate groups, such as hemichordates and sea urchins. In this review, we reassess the evolutionary origins of the RA signaling pathway by examining the presence of key factors of this signaling cascade in different metazoan genomes and by comparing tissue‐specific roles for RA during development of different animals. This discussion of genomic and developmental data suggests that RA signaling might have originated earlier in metazoan evolution than previously thought. On the basis of this hypothesis, we conclude by proposing a scenario for the evolution of RA functions during development, which highlights functional gains and lineage‐specific losses during metazoan diversification. genesis 46:640–656, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.