Duplicated FoxA genes in the leech Helobdella: Insights into the evolution of direct development in clitellate annelids

Conclusions: The expression patterns suggested that Hau‐FoxA1 carries out most of the conserved function in the endoderm and gut development, while the other two duplicates appear to have evolved unique novel functions in the directly developing clitellate embryos. Therefore, neofunctionalization and co‐option of FoxA might have made a significant contribution to the evolution of direct development in Clitellata. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Source: Developmental Dynamics - Category: Molecular Biology Authors: Tags: Patterns & Phenotypes Source Type: research