Cross-kingdom comparison of the developmental hourglass

Hajk-Georg Drost, Philipp Janitza, Ivo Grosse, Marcel Quint (Lead / Corresponding author)

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)
20 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The developmental hourglass model has its foundations in classic anatomical studies by von Baer and Haeckel. In this context, even the conservation of animal body plans has been explained by evolutionary constraints acting on mid-embryogenic development. Recent studies have shown that developmental hourglass patterns also exist on the transcriptomic level, mirroring the corresponding morphological patterns. The identification of similar patterns in embryonic, post-embryonic, and life cycle spanning transcriptomes in plant and fungus development, however, contradict the notion of a direct coupling between morphological and molecular patterns. To explain the existence of hourglass patterns across kingdoms and developmental processes, we propose the organizational checkpoint model that integrates the developmental hourglass model into a framework of transcriptome switches.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)69-75
Number of pages7
JournalCurrent Opinion in Genetics and Development
Volume45
Early online date24 Mar 2017
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2017

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Genetics
  • Developmental Biology

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