Hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxus
Abstract Introduction The left-sided position of the mouth in amphioxus larvae has fascinated researchers for a long time. Despite the fundamental importance of mouth development in the amphioxus, the molecular regulation of its development is almost unknown. In our previous study, we showed that Hh...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Zoological Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40851-021-00186-8 |
| _version_ | 1819097840105816064 |
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| author | Guangwei Hu Guang Li Yiquan Wang |
| author_facet | Guangwei Hu Guang Li Yiquan Wang |
| author_sort | Guangwei Hu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction The left-sided position of the mouth in amphioxus larvae has fascinated researchers for a long time. Despite the fundamental importance of mouth development in the amphioxus, the molecular regulation of its development is almost unknown. In our previous study, we showed that Hh mutation in the amphioxus leads to no mouth opening, indicating a requirement of Hh signaling for amphioxus mouth formation. Nevertheless, since the Hh mutant also exhibits defects in early left-right (LR) patterning, it remains currently unknown whether the loss of mouth opening is affected directly by Hh deficiency or a secondary effect of its influence on LR establishment. Results We demonstrated that knockout of the Smo gene, another key component of the Hh signaling pathway, in the amphioxus resulted in the absence of mouth opening, but caused no effects on LR asymmetry development. Upregulation of Hh signaling led to a dramatic increase in mouth size. The inability of Smo mutation to affect LR development is due to Smo’s high maternal expression in amphioxus eggs and cleavage-stage embryos. In Smo mutants, Pou4 and Pax2/5/8 expression at the primordial oral site is not altered before mouth opening. Conclusions Based on these results and our previous study, we conclude that Hh signal is necessary for amphioxus mouth formation and that the Hh-mediated regulation of mouth development is specific to the mouth. Our data suggest that Hh signaling regulates mouth formation in the amphioxus in a similar way as that in vertebrates, indicating the conserved role of Hh signaling in mouth formation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:21:29Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d68fadb0a4fb4793969d038264e1c2f8 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2056-306X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:21:29Z |
| publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Zoological Letters |
| spelling | doaj.art-d68fadb0a4fb4793969d038264e1c2f82022-12-21T18:45:09ZengBMCZoological Letters2056-306X2021-12-01711910.1186/s40851-021-00186-8Hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxusGuangwei Hu0Guang Li1Yiquan Wang2Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Bioresources and Environment /Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology, School of Marine Science and Fisheries, Jiangsu Ocean UniversityState Key laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityState Key laboratory of Cellular Stress Biology, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen UniversityAbstract Introduction The left-sided position of the mouth in amphioxus larvae has fascinated researchers for a long time. Despite the fundamental importance of mouth development in the amphioxus, the molecular regulation of its development is almost unknown. In our previous study, we showed that Hh mutation in the amphioxus leads to no mouth opening, indicating a requirement of Hh signaling for amphioxus mouth formation. Nevertheless, since the Hh mutant also exhibits defects in early left-right (LR) patterning, it remains currently unknown whether the loss of mouth opening is affected directly by Hh deficiency or a secondary effect of its influence on LR establishment. Results We demonstrated that knockout of the Smo gene, another key component of the Hh signaling pathway, in the amphioxus resulted in the absence of mouth opening, but caused no effects on LR asymmetry development. Upregulation of Hh signaling led to a dramatic increase in mouth size. The inability of Smo mutation to affect LR development is due to Smo’s high maternal expression in amphioxus eggs and cleavage-stage embryos. In Smo mutants, Pou4 and Pax2/5/8 expression at the primordial oral site is not altered before mouth opening. Conclusions Based on these results and our previous study, we conclude that Hh signal is necessary for amphioxus mouth formation and that the Hh-mediated regulation of mouth development is specific to the mouth. Our data suggest that Hh signaling regulates mouth formation in the amphioxus in a similar way as that in vertebrates, indicating the conserved role of Hh signaling in mouth formation.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40851-021-00186-8Hedgehog signalMouth openingSmoAmphioxus |
| spellingShingle | Guangwei Hu Guang Li Yiquan Wang Hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxus Zoological Letters Hedgehog signal Mouth opening Smo Amphioxus |
| title | Hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxus |
| title_full | Hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxus |
| title_fullStr | Hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxus |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxus |
| title_short | Hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxus |
| title_sort | hedgehog signaling controls mouth opening in the amphioxus |
| topic | Hedgehog signal Mouth opening Smo Amphioxus |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40851-021-00186-8 |
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