CB1-and CB2-type cannabinoid receptors mediate effects of the endocannabinoids 2-
arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and anandamide in mammals. In canonical endocannabinoid …

Our understanding of vertebrate origins is powerfully informed by comparative morphology,
embryology and genomics of chordates, hemichordates and echinoderms, which together …

Neuroectodermal signalling centres induce and pattern many novel vertebrate brain
structures but are absent, or divergent, in invertebrate chordates. This has led to the idea …

Background Sea cucumbers are a special group of marine invertebrates. They occupy a
taxonomic position that is believed to be important for understanding the origin and …

Tubulin, the protein subunit of microtubules (MTs), is an α/β heterodimer. In this chapter, a
hypothesis on the evolution of the tubulin molecule is proposed, based in part on recent …

Hemichordates are an important group for investigating the evolution of bilaterian nervous
systems. As the closest chordate outgroup with a bilaterally symmetric adult body plan …

Neuronal secretion of peptide signaling molecules (neuropeptides) is an evolutionarily
ancient feature of nervous systems. Here we report the identification of 20 cDNAs encoding …

The Wnt family of secreted proteins has been proposed to play a conserved role in early
specification of the bilaterian anteroposterior (A/P) axis. This hypothesis is based …

Five families of neuropeptides that have a C-terminal RFamide motif have been identified in
vertebrates:(1) gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH),(2) neuropeptide FF (NPFF),(3) …

The insect chemoreceptor superfamily consists of 2 gene families, the highly diverse
gustatory receptors (GRs) found in all arthropods with sequenced genomes and the odorant …