Ancient developmental genes underlie evolutionary novelties in walking fish
Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Current Biology
Publication Date
10-7-2024
Abstract
A critical question in biology is how new traits evolve, but studying this in wild animals remains challenging. Here, we probe the genetic basis of trait gain in sea robin fish, which have evolved specialized leg-like appendages for locomotion and digging along the ocean floor. We use genome sequencing, transcriptional profiling, and interspecific hybrid analysis to explore the molecular and developmental basis of leg formation. We identified the ancient, conserved transcription factor tbx3a as a major determinant of sensory leg development. Genome editing confirms that tbx3a is required for normal leg formation in sea robins, and for formation of enlarged central nervous system lobes, sensory papillae, and adult digging behavior. Our study establishes sea robins as a model organism for studying the evolution of major trait gain and illustrates how ancient developmental control genes can underlie novel organ formation.
Volume
34
Issue
19
First Page
4339
Last Page
4348.e6
DOI
10.1016/j.cub.2024.08.042
Recommended Citation
Herbert, A., Allard, C., McCoy, M., Wucherpfennig, J., Krueger, S., Chen, H., Gourlay, A., Jackson, K., Abbo, L., Bennett, S., Sears, J., Rhyne, A. L., Bellono, N., & Kingsley, D. (2024). Ancient developmental genes underlie evolutionary novelties in walking fish. Current Biology, 34 (19), 4339-4348.e6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.08.042
ISSN
09609822
E-ISSN
18790445
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