title: Spatiotemporal expression of Pax genes in amphioxus: insights into Pax-related organogenesis and evolution.
abstract: The expression of four AmphiPax genes in 16 developmental stages and different organs in amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri) was investigated, finding those genes expressed throughout amphioxus life with temporal-specific (especially during embryogenesis and metamorphosis) and spatial-specific patterns. This study suggests that duplicated Pax genes in vertebrates might maintain most of their ancestral functions and also expand their expression patterns after the divergence of protochordates and vertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: QiuJing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: YiQuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D043344:Chordata / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers