TGF-β family ligands function in inducing and patterning many tissues of the early vertebrate
embryonic body plan. Nodal signaling is essential for the specification of mesendodermal …

Chordoma is a rare low-grade primary malignant skeletal tumor, which is presumed to
derive from notochord remnants. The pathogenesis of chordoma has not been fully …

The adult nucleus pulposus originates from the embryonic notochord, but loss of
notochordal cells with skeletal maturity in humans is thought to contribute to the onset of …

Cranial placodes are evolutionary innovations of vertebrates. However, they most likely
evolved by redeployment, rewiring and diversification of preexisting cell types and …

Deciphering the mechanisms of axis formation in amphioxus is a key step to understanding
the evolution of chordate body plan. The current view is that Nodal signaling is the only …

The Pax6 gene is essential for eye and brain development across various animal species.
Here, we investigate the function of Pax6 in the development of the anterior central nervous …

The evolutionary origin of the vertebrate brain remains a major subject of debate, as its
development from a dorsal tubular neuroepithelium is unique to chordates. To shed light on …

The emergence of new structures can often be linked to the evolution of novel cell types that
follows the rewiring of developmental gene regulatory subnetworks. Vertebrates are …

Evolutionary innovations often arise by tinkering with preexisting components building new
regulatory networks by the rewiring of old parts. The cranial placodes of vertebrates …

During vertebrate early embryogenesis, the ventral development is directed by the ventral-to-
dorsal activity gradient of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. As secreted …