title: A new heart for a new head in vertebrate cardiopharyngeal evolution.
abstract: It has been more than 30 years since the publication of the new head hypothesis, which proposed that the vertebrate head is an evolutionary novelty resulting from the emergence of neural crest and cranial placodes. Neural crest generates the skull and associated connective tissues, whereas placodes produce sensory organs. However, neither crest nor placodes produce head muscles, which are a crucial component of the complex vertebrate head. We discuss emerging evidence for a surprising link between the evolution of head muscles and chambered hearts - both systems arise from a common pool of mesoderm progenitor cells within the cardiopharyngeal field of vertebrate embryos. We consider the origin of this field in non-vertebrate chordates and its evolution in vertebrates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Diogo
authors.affiliation: Aix Marseille Université, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille UMR 7288, 13288 Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Robert G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Center for Developmental Genetics, Department of Biology, New York University, New York 10003, USA.
authors.forename: Lionel
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Christiaen
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California at Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Janine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ziermann
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington DC 20059, USA.
authors.forename: Julia L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Molnar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA.
authors.forename: Drew M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Noden
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Regulation, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel.
authors.forename: Eldad
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tzahor
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D001934:Branchial Region / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology*; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D006321:Heart / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology; D008954:Models, Biological; D009132:Muscles / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D009432:Neural Crest / Q000166:cytology; D014714:Vertebrates / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000196:embryology*