title: Conserved expression pattern of BMP-2/4 in hemichordate acorn worm and echinoderm sea cucumber embryos.
abstract: The auricularia larva of sea cucumbers and tornaria larva of acorn worms share striking developmental and morphological similarities. They are regarded as not only an archetype of the nonchordate deuterostome larva, but also an archetype of the origin of chordates. Here we report the characterization and spatial expression patterns of the BMP-2/4 genes of a hemichordate acorn worm (Pf-bmp2/4) and an echinoderm sea cucumber (Sj-bmp2/4). Both the Pf-bmp2/4 and Sj-bmp2/4 genes exhibited apparently conserved expression in the region of the coelomopore complex. This is in agreement with the homology between their basic larval body plans with respect to coelomogenesis and allows us to discuss the evolutionary counterparts of the coelomopore complex in chordates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshito
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Harada
authors.forename: Eiichi
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shoguchi
authors.forename: Shunsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: Noko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okai
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Humphreys
authors.forename: Kunifumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tagawa
authors.forename: Nori
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Satoh
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D002816:Chordata, Nonvertebrate / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000378:metabolism*; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D018628:Gene Dosage; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007814:Larva / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012616:Sea Cucumbers / Q000235:genetics* / Q000254:growth & development*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D019485:Bone Morphogenetic Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger