The cranial neural crest generates a huge diversity of derivatives, including the bulk of
connective and skeletal tissues of the vertebrate head. How neural crest cells acquire such …

Since the split of the coelacanth lineage from other osteichthyans 420 million years ago, the
morphological disparity of this clade has remained remarkably stable. Only few outliers with …

In the last decade, the CRISPR/Cas9 bacterial virus defense system has been adapted as a
user-friendly, efficient, and precise method for targeted mutagenesis in eukaryotes. Though …

The evolution of a unique craniofacial complex in vertebrates made possible new ways of
breathing, eating, communicating and sensing the environment. The head and face develop …

The specification of cartilage requires Sox9, a transcription factor with broad roles for
organogenesis outside the skeletal system. How Sox9 and other factors gain access to …

The origin of the jaw is a long-standing problem in vertebrate evolutionary biology. Classical
hypotheses of serial homology propose that the upper and lower jaw evolved through …

Adult endochondral bones are prefigured in the embryo as cellular condensations within
fields of more loosely distributed skeletal progenitors. How these early condensations are …

Sarcopterygians evolved around 415 Ma and have developed a unique set of features,
including the basilar papilla and the cochlear aqueduct of the inner ear. We provide an …

Background Caudal fin symmetry characterizes teleosts and likely contributes to their
evolutionary success. However, the coordinated development and patterning of skeletal …

POU genes are a family of evolutionarily conserved transcription factors with key functions in
cell type specification and neurogenesis. In vitro experiments have indicated that the …