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Analysis of large scale expression sequenced tags (ESTs) from the anural ascidian, Molgula tectiformis.

TitleAnalysis of large scale expression sequenced tags (ESTs) from the anural ascidian, Molgula tectiformis.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2007
AuthorsGyoja F, Satou Y, Shin-i T, Kohara Y, Swalla BJ, Satoh N
JournalDevelopmental biology
Volume307
Issue2
Pagination460-82
Date Published2007 Jul 15
ISSN0012-1606
KeywordsActins, Amino Acid Sequence, Animals, Expressed Sequence Tags, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Larva, Metamorphosis, Biological, Multigene Family, Molecular Sequence Data, Muscle Proteins, Notochord, Phylogeny, Sequence Homology, Amino Acid, Urochordata
Abstract

<p>Anural ascidians show embryogenesis during which tail formation does not take place. This mode of development is a derived character acquired several times independently in ascidian evolution. We identified approximately 20,000 each ESTs (i. e. 10,000 clones each were sequenced from both 5&#39; and 3&#39; ends) of adult gonads, cleaving-embryos, gastrulae/neurulae, embryos before hatching, and hatched larvae of the anural ascidian Molgula tectiformis, in order to comprehensively investigate the molecular mechanism of tailless evolution. Analyses of these ESTs showed that in this species, (1) the expression of embryonic/larval muscle structural genes which are expressed abundantly during embryogenesis of the urodele ascidian Ciona intestinalis, is suppressed; (2) genes that encode proteins with no similarity to known proteins of other organisms are abundantly expressed; (3) genes that show similarity with those up-regulated at metamorphosis in urodele ascidians are up-regulated within several hours after hatching; and (4) 15 of 35 putative orthologues of the downstream components of Brachyury, a key transcription factor for ascidian notochord formation, were found in the ESTs, even though differentiation of notochord is suppressed in this species. We discuss these remarkable results that allow insight into the molecular mechanism(s) responsible for the anural mode of ascidian development.</p>

Alternate JournalDev. Biol.
Refereed DesignationRefereed