The evolution of gastrulation morphologies

TY - JOUR

T1 - The evolution of gastrulation morphologies

AU - Nájera, Guillermo Serrano

AU - Weijer, Cornelis J.

N1 - Funding Information: G.S.N. acknowledges support from The Leverhulme Trust (RPG-2018-356). C.J.W. acknowledges support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/T006781/1) and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/W023946/1). Open access funding provided by University of Cambridge. Deposited in PMC for immediate release. Copyright: © 2023. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

PY - 2023/4

Y1 - 2023/4

N2 - During gastrulation, early embryos specify and reorganise the topology of their germ layers. Surprisingly, this fundamental and early process does not appear to be rigidly constrained by evolutionary pressures; instead, the morphology of gastrulation is highly variable throughout the animal kingdom. Recent experimental results demonstrate that it is possible to generate different alternative gastrulation modes in single organisms, such as in early cnidarian, arthropod and vertebrate embryos. Here, we review the mechanisms that underlie the plasticity of vertebrate gastrulation both when experimentally manipulated and during evolution. Using the insights obtained from these experiments we discuss the effects of the increase in yolk volume on the morphology of gastrulation and provide new insights into two crucial innovations during amniote gastrulation: the transition from a ring-shaped mesoderm domain in anamniotes to a crescent-shaped domain in amniotes, and the evolution of the reptilian blastoporal plate/canal into the avian primitive streak.

AB - During gastrulation, early embryos specify and reorganise the topology of their germ layers. Surprisingly, this fundamental and early process does not appear to be rigidly constrained by evolutionary pressures; instead, the morphology of gastrulation is highly variable throughout the animal kingdom. Recent experimental results demonstrate that it is possible to generate different alternative gastrulation modes in single organisms, such as in early cnidarian, arthropod and vertebrate embryos. Here, we review the mechanisms that underlie the plasticity of vertebrate gastrulation both when experimentally manipulated and during evolution. Using the insights obtained from these experiments we discuss the effects of the increase in yolk volume on the morphology of gastrulation and provide new insights into two crucial innovations during amniote gastrulation: the transition from a ring-shaped mesoderm domain in anamniotes to a crescent-shaped domain in amniotes, and the evolution of the reptilian blastoporal plate/canal into the avian primitive streak.

KW - Animals

KW - Gastrulation

KW - Gastrula

KW - Mesoderm

KW - Germ Layers

KW - Primitive Streak

KW - Morphogenesis

KW - Cell behaviours

KW - Evolution

KW - EMT

KW - Yolk

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85152629600

U2 - 10.1242/dev.200885

DO - 10.1242/dev.200885

M3 - Article

C2 - 37067451

SN - 0950-1991

VL - 150

JO - Development

JF - Development

IS - 7

M1 - dev200885

ER -