Shared complexities of backbone segmentation between cartilaginous fishes and tetrapods originate much earlier in vertebrate evolution than previously thought.
During vertebrate axial extension, the tail bud originates from the activation of a developmental module in a subset of axial progenitors, concurrent but different to gastrulation.
Many vertebrates are able to synthesize a sunscreen compound de novo and the pathway involved can be used for heterologous production of the compound in yeast.
Vertebrate superfast muscles employ similar excitation–contraction strategies but distinct myosin heavy chain genes to allow superfast performance, revealing a maximum speed that cannot be overcome without sacrificing neural control.
The collinear activation of a subset of posterior Hox genes is responsible for establishing a Wnt/T activity gradient that is required to generate the complete body axis, and hence the full set of segments within a vertebrate embryo.
The endosymbiosis between an alga and the spotted salamander shows several parallels to invertebrate-algal symbioses as well as to pathogen associations in vertebrate animals.
Analysis of bearded dragon model reveals a novel tooth replacement strategy that demonstrates the critical importance of epithelial patterning, cell migration, and putative stem cell functional specialization in tissue regeneration.
