Foxl2 is a member of the large family of Forkhead Box (Fox) domain transcription factors. It
emerged during the last 15 years as a key player in ovarian differentiation and oogenesis in …

Over the past decade genomic approaches have begun to revolutionise the study of animal
diversity. In particular, genome sequencing programmes have spread beyond the traditional …

Background Planktonic ciliated larvae are characteristic for the life cycle of marine
invertebrates. Their most prominent feature is the apical organ harboring sensory cells and …

The Cambrian explosion was a unique animal radiation~ 540 million years ago that
produced the full range of body plans across bilaterians. The genetic mechanisms …

Abstract Background The Fox gene family is a large family of transcription factors that arose
early in organismal evolution dating back to at least the common ancestor of metazoans and …

Transcription factors (TFs) are DNA-binding proteins able to modulate the timing, location,
and levels of gene expression by binding to regulatory DNA regions. Therefore, the …

Background Metazoan digestive systems develop from derivatives of ectoderm, endoderm
and mesoderm, and vary in the relative contribution of each germ layer across taxa and …

The FoxP gene subfamily of transcription factors is defined by its characteristic 110 amino
acid long DNA-binding forkhead domain and plays essential roles in vertebrate biology. Its …

Many marine invertebrate phyla are characterized by indirect development. These animals
transit from planktonic larvae to benthic spats via settlement and metamorphosis, which …

Vertebrate mesendoderm specification requires the Nodal signaling pathway and its
transcriptional effector FoxH1. However, loss of FoxH1 in several species does not reliably …