Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alistair P. McGregor, Alexandra D. Buffry, Renske M. A. Vroomans
Summary: Evolutionary developmental biology is a broad field that aims to understand how developmental processes evolve and contribute to phenotypic change and organismal diversification. This special issue reviews key topics in the field, including advances in theory and methodology, as well as our latest knowledge about molecular, cellular, and organismal functionality and diversification.
ESSAYS IN BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andrei P. Kozlov
Summary: A theory called the carcino-evo-devo theory is being developed to explain the evolutionary role of hereditary tumors. The theory proposes that hereditary tumors played a role in the evolution of multicellular organisms by providing additional cell masses for the expression of novel genes. It has made several nontrivial predictions that have been confirmed in laboratory experiments and offers explanations for previously unexplained biological phenomena. By considering individual development, evolutionary development, and neoplastic development within one framework, the carcino-evo-devo theory has the potential to become a unifying biological theory.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
A. P. Kozlov
Summary: This paper introduces the theory of carcino-evo-devo, which explains the sources of additional cell masses in the evolution of multicellular organisms. Several non-trivial predictions are formulated and confirmed through experiments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Salem al-Mosleh, Gary P. T. Choi, Arhat Abzhanov, L. Mahadevan
Summary: The study analyzed the beak morphology of Darwin's finches, finding that the curvature increases linearly from the base to the tip of the beak and is related to dietary habits. By proposing an experimentally motivated growth law and utilizing a morphospace, the study shows how a combination of geometry and dynamics allows for the development and evolution of functional form in the finches.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Review
Biology
Daisuke Koyabu
Summary: Over the past decade, studies combining palaeontology, embryology, and experimental developmental biology have significantly changed our understanding of the homology of the mammalian skull. New evidence suggests the need to revisit and restructure the conventional anatomical terminology used for the components of the mammalian skull, which has been a longstanding unresolved issue since the nineteenth century. This review highlights the overlooked problems related to homology, development, and conservatism of the mammalian skull, with a call for future studies in these areas.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Beatrice Albert, Alexis Matamoro-Vidal, Charlotte Prieu, Sophie Nadot, Irene Till-Bottraud, Adrienne Ressayre, Pierre-Henri Gouyon
Summary: The diversity of pollen grain forms in flowering plants is determined by the developmental mechanisms involved in establishing pollen morphological features. Aperture pattern, characterized by aperture number, structure, and position, is determined during microsporogenesis, and plays a key role in plant reproduction. Advances in understanding aperture pattern development shed light on the evolution of aperture pattern in angiosperms.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Alessandro Cavallo, Melody S. Clark, Lloyd S. Peck, Elizabeth M. Harper, Victoria A. Sleight
Summary: By studying shell development in the Antarctic clam, researchers found that the formation of the larval shell involves development-specific downstream effector genes, while the adult shell secretion processes use different genes. This suggests that the formation of the larval shell is a conserved and ancestral feature in molluscs.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Siyu Li, Hokuto Nakayama, Neelima R. Sinha
Summary: Comparative transcriptomics is a powerful method for understanding the genetic basis of organ morphogenesis and its diversification during evolution. However, studying plant morphological diversity using comparative transcriptomics faces challenges such as identifying homologous gene pairs, selecting appropriate developmental stages for comparison, and extracting biologically meaningful networks. Methods like phylostratigraphy, clustering, and gene co-expression networks are used to address these challenges and provide a comprehensive understanding of morphological evolution.
CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Kai Ito, Vuong Tan Tu, Thomas P. Eiting, Taro Nojiri, Daisuke Koyabu
Summary: The homologies of bat nasal turbinals have been disputed, but tracing prenatal development may provide a solution. Bat turbinate structures are similar to laurasiatherians, indicating bats retain the ancestral condition, while the absence of certain structures in specific bat groups may have occurred through convergent evolution.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Plant Sciences
Kate Harline, Jesus Martinez-Gomez, Chelsea D. Specht, Adrienne H. K. Roeder
Summary: Modeling has become a popular tool in biological disciplines, but the literacy among biologists has not kept pace. The lack of understanding inhibits communication and progress in data analysis. A blueprint has been proposed to empower biologists to apply models in their field.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Laura Nuno de la Rosa, Mihaela Pavlicev, Arantza Etxeberria
Summary: Critiques of the container model and the emergence of new perspectives have led to a reevaluation of the concept of pregnancy as an evolved relational novelty. The idea of historical individuality, as opposed to other views of biological individuality, offers a fresh insight into pregnancy and may help dispel misconceptions.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sebastian S. James, Mackenzie Englund, Riley Bottom, Roberto Perez, Kathleen E. Connor, Kelly J. Huffman, Stuart P. Wilson, Leah A. Krubitzer
Summary: Advances in sequencing techniques have allowed for comparative studies of gene expression, but spatial expression has remained limited due to a lack of robust methodology. In this study, methods and software tools were developed to quantify and compare tissue-wide spatial patterns of gene expression within and between species. The expression patterns of RZR beta and Id2 mRNA in the cortex were compared across early postnatal development in mice and voles. The results showed that RZR beta expression patterns were highly conserved between species, while Id2 expression patterns emerged in a consistent manner across layers in both species. These differences in neocortical patterning development were suggested to reflect the independent evolution of brains, bodies, and sensory systems since their common ancestor 35 million years ago.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Roland Zimm, Fidji Berio, Melanie Debiais-Thibaud, Nicolas Goudemand
Summary: Developmental complexity resulting from the interplay between genetic and biomechanic factors shapes the ways in which genotypes and phenotypes change in evolution. In this study, we investigate the developmental factors underlying typical tooth shape transitions by studying tooth diversity in sharks. Using a realistic mathematical model of odontogenesis, we successfully reproduce key features of tooth development and real tooth shape variation in small-spotted catsharks through in vivo experiments. Interestingly, we find that developmental transitions between tooth shapes tend to be highly degenerate and asymmetrically dependent on the direction of transition. These findings contribute to our understanding of how developmental changes drive adaptive phenotypic change and trait convergence in complex, highly diverse structures.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rebekka Hoech, Ralf F. Schneider, Alison Kickuth, Axel Meyer, Joost M. Woltering
Summary: With over 18,000 species, Acanthomorpha fishes form the largest and most diverse radiation of vertebrates, with their evolutionary success attributed to the spiny rays in their fins. By studying the differentiation of fin domains in Astatotilapia burtoni, researchers identified distinct transcription factor signatures and mechanisms such as BMP inhibition and shh secretion that contribute to the establishment of spiny and soft-ray domains. This research suggests a repeated exaptation of developmental programs contributing to the convergent evolution of spiny fin elements in fishes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biology
Melanie J. Hopkins, Rebecca To
Summary: This study analyzes over 1500 species of trilobites and reveals long-term shifts in segment number and allocation, which cannot be explained by taxonomic turnover or trends in functionally relevant behavior.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Kalle T. Rytkonen, Eric M. Erkenbrack, Matti Poutanen, Laura L. Elo, Mihaela Pavlicev, Gunter P. Wagner
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Guenter P. Wagner, Eric M. Erkenbrack, Alan C. Love
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mihaela Pavlicev, Andreja Moset Zupan, Amanda Barry, Savannah Walters, Kristin M. Milano, Harvey J. Kliman, Gunter P. Wagner
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2019)
Letter
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Guenter P. Wagner, Mihaela Pavlicev
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2019)
Article
History & Philosophy Of Science
James DiFrisco, Alan C. Love, Gunter P. Wagner
BIOLOGY & PHILOSOPHY
(2020)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Leah DeLorenzo, Abby Vander Linden, Philip J. Bergmann, Gunter P. Wagner, Cameron D. Siler, Duncan J. Irschick
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arun R. Chavan, Oliver W. Griffith, Daniel J. Stadtmauer, Jamie Maziarz, Mihaela Pavlicev, Ruth Fishman, Lee Koren, Roberto Romero, Gunter P. Wagner
Summary: Evolutionary mechanism of ancestral inflammatory response transformed into embryo implantation in the eutherian lineage was elucidated by comparative study of several mammalian species. Decidual stromal cells were proposed to mediate the suppression of detrimental modules in the inflammatory response. The results provide a mechanistic understanding of early stages in the evolution of eutherian pregnancy.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Vincent J. Lynch, Gunter P. Wagner
Summary: The molecular mechanisms by which protein functions have evolved are still largely unknown, despite detailed studies on the functional evolution of some proteins. It has been found that long polyalanine tracts in transcription factors may act as repressor domains and contribute to the diversification of transcription factor functions.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alan Love, Gunter P. Wagner
Summary: It is widely accepted that stressful conditions can facilitate evolutionary change by increasing heritable variation and promoting rapid adaptive evolution. Stressors can be categorized into two types based on their effect on functional integrity: stress-responsive mechanisms that maintain adaptive fit with the environment, and stress-responsive mechanisms specific to stressors that lead to the emergence of novelties through compensation. Our model explains the evolutionary transformation of an immediate response to acute stress into routine protection from recurring stressors by considering cost-benefit trade-offs. Examples from different levels of organization support the general principle of evolutionary origination based on the ability to switch between regulatory states related to reproduction and survival.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yasir Suhail, Jamie D. Maziarz, Ashkan Novin, Anasuya Dighe, Junaid Afzal, Gunter Wagner, Kshitiz
Summary: This study investigates the genomic mechanisms underlying interspecies differences in stromal invasibility, identifying transcription factors GATA2 and TFDP1 as key regulators of fibroblast invasibility. These findings provide insights into the regulation of placental invasion, wound healing, and cancer dissemination through targeting stromal characteristics.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
James DiFrisco, Guenter P. Wagner
Summary: This paper proposes an abstract mechanistic model of body plan identity. Body plans are an evolutionary phenomenon that only applies to a relatively small subset of major clades. Body plan identity mechanisms (BpIMs) maintain entire configurations of characters while possessing a stable and traceable mechanistic architecture. These BpIMs are intercellular signaling networks operating between transient embryonic structures.
EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
James DiFrisco, Alan C. Love, Gunter P. Wagner
Summary: This article discusses the pervasiveness of gene sharing in evolution and the issue of homology across different lineages. The authors propose a new theoretical classification to address the problem of determining homology. They argue that the concept of serial homology should primarily be applied to developmentally individualized body parts and suggest a hierarchical, phylogenetic interpretation.
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qian Ba, Yuanyuan Hei, Anasuya Dighe, Wenxue Li, Jamie Maziarz, Irene Pak, Shisheng Wang, Gunter P. Wagner, Yansheng Liu
Summary: This study quantified proteomic and phosphoproteomic layers in fibroblasts from 11 common mammalian species and found that transcript and protein expression levels follow functional role and exhibit coevolution. Gene expression variability is universal but varies between individuals and species, with RNA metabolic processes showing higher interspecies variation. The ubiquitin-proteasome system is conserved in mammals, while lysosome-mediated protein degradation varies between mammalian lineages. Phosphosite profiles reveal a phosphorylation coevolution network independent of protein abundance.
Letter
Ecology
Alan C. Love, Gunter P. Wagner
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Mihaela Pavlicev, Gunter P. Wagner
Summary: This paper argues that there is a fundamental connection between medical sciences and evolutionary biology, as both study biological variation. Evolutionary biology states that genetic differences among species come from mutations within populations, which implies a mechanistic continuity between variation within a species and between species. Research that leverages comparisons among species can help uncover the genetic basis of human disease vulnerabilities. Genetically caused diseases can be understood as extreme states of an underlying trait, rather than distinct traits as assumed in GWAS studies.
