The origin of the notochord is one of the key remaining mysteries of our evolutionary
ancestry. Here, we present a multi‐level comparison of the chordate notochord to the …

The origin of chordates has been debated for more than a century, with one key issue being
the emergence of the notochord. In vertebrates, the notochord develops by convergence …

Abstract Background Entoprocta (Kamptozoa) is an enigmatic, acoelomate, tentacle-bearing
phylum with indirect development, either via a swimming-or a creeping-type larva and still …

Background Myogenesis is currently investigated in a number of invertebrate taxa using
combined techniques, including fluorescence labeling, confocal microscopy, and 3D …

A notochord is characteristic of developing chordates (which comprise amphioxus, tunicates
and vertebrates), and, more arguably, is also found in some other animals. Although …

Despite the large variation in adult bodyplan phenotypes, a worm-shaped morphology is
considered plesiomorphic for both Lophotrochozoa and Bilateria. Although almost all larval …

In amniote embryos, skeletal muscles in the trunk are derived from epithelial
dermomyotomes, the ventral margin of which extends ventrally to form body wall muscles. At …

Embryonic tissues are shaped by the dynamic behaviours of their constituent cells. To
understand such cell behaviours and how they evolved, new approaches are needed to …

Background The standard textbook information that annelid musculature consists of
oligochaete-like outer circular and inner longitudinal muscle-layers has recently been called …

Background The notochord is a defining feature of the chordate clade, and invertebrate
chordates, such as tunicates, are uniquely suited for studies of this structure. Here we used a …