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Spatiotemporal expression of Pax genes in amphioxus: Insights into Pax-related organogenesis and evolution

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Abstract

The expression of four AmphiPax genes in 16 developmental stages and different organs in amphioxus (Branchiostoma belcheri) was investigated, finding those genes expressed throughout amphioxus life with temporal-specific (especially during embryogenesis and metamorphosis) and spatial-specific patterns. This study suggests that duplicated Pax genes in vertebrates might maintain most of their ancestral functions and also expand their expression patterns after the divergence of protochordates and vertebrates.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Coastal and Wetland Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361005, China

    Lu Chen, QiuJing Zhang, Wei Wang & YiQuan Wang

  2. College of Life Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, 350108, China

    QiuJing Zhang

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  1. Lu Chen
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  2. QiuJing Zhang
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  3. Wei Wang
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Correspondence to YiQuan Wang.

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Chen, L., Zhang, Q., Wang, W. et al. Spatiotemporal expression of Pax genes in amphioxus: Insights into Pax-related organogenesis and evolution. Sci. China Life Sci. 53, 1031–1040 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-010-4040-2

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