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Expression of engrailed in the developing brain and appendages of the onychophoran euperipatoides kanangrensis (Reid)
Author(s) -
Eriksson B. Joakim,
Larson Earl T.,
Thörnqvist PerOve,
Tait Noel N.,
Budd Graham E.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of experimental zoology part b: molecular and developmental evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1552-5015
pISSN - 1552-5007
DOI - 10.1002/jez.b.21043
Subject(s) - engrailed , mesoderm , ectoderm , biology , appendage , anatomy , limb development , embryo , neuroscience , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , embryogenesis , gene , homeobox , embryonic stem cell , genetics
We have cloned an engrailed ‐class gene in the onychophoran Euperipatoides kanangrensis and investigated its expression using in situ hybridisation. The expression pattern was found to differ drastically from that previously described for another onychophoran species. In the present investigation, engrailed transcripts were detected in a subset of developing neurons in the brain anlage, and in the mesoderm as well as ectoderm of the developing limb buds. The engrailed positive cells of the brain are of differing developmental maturity, ranging from subepidermal neuronal precursors to neurons located basally in the embryo with developing axons. The lack of the traditional expression in the posterior compartment of segments reported earlier in onychophorans is discussed, and we suggest that onychophorans may have acquired two copies of engrailed with different functions. J. Exp. Zool. 304B, 2005 . © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.