The Cambrian appearance of fossils representing diverse phyla has long inspired
hypotheses about possible genetic or environmental catalysts of early animal evolution …

The Hox gene cluster has a crucial function in body patterning during animal development.
How and when this gene cluster originated is being clarified by recent data from Cnidaria, a …

Insight into the origin and early evolution of the animal phyla requires an understanding of
how animal groups are related to one another. Thus, we set out to explore animal phylogeny …

Background The much-debated phylogenetic relationships of the five early branching
metazoan lineages (Bilateria, Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Placozoa and Porifera) are of …

The Hox gene cluster has captivated the imagination of evolutionary and developmental
biologists worldwide. In this review, the origin of the Hox and ParaHox gene clusters by …

The adult body plan of bilaterians is achieved by imposing regional specifications on
pluripotential cells. The establishment of spatial domains is governed in part by regulating …

The Early Cambrian (≈ 540 million years old) Meishucun fossil assemblage of Ningqiang
County (Shaanxi Province), China, contains the oldest complex skeletonized organisms …

Homeobox transcription factors are commonly involved in developmental regulation in
diverse eukaryotes, including plants, animals, and fungi. The origin of novel homeobox …

The subkingdom Bilateria encompasses the overwhelming majority of animals, including all
but four early-branching phyla: Porifera, Ctenophora, Placozoa, and Cnidaria. On average …

Background Axis patterning during development is accompanied by large-scale gene
expression changes. These are brought about by changes in the histone modifications …