Tautz Diethard
Institut für Genetik, Universität zu Köln, Weyertal 121, 50931, Köln, Germany.
Cell. 2003 Jun 27;113(7):812-3. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(03)00472-0.
Gene expression studies in embryos often provide insights into evolutionary relationships across phyla. In this issue of Cell, Lowe et al. examine the patterning of the bilaterian nervous system by studying gene expression in a hemichordate, the acorn worm. Although these animals have an unstructured nervous system, they show surprisingly conserved gene expression domains, shedding new light on the evolution of the central nervous system and the phylogenetic placement of chordates.
胚胎中的基因表达研究常常能为跨门的进化关系提供见解。在本期《细胞》杂志中，洛维等人通过研究半索动物橡实虫的基因表达来探究两侧对称动物神经系统的模式形成。尽管这些动物拥有一个无结构的神经系统，但它们却展现出了惊人保守的基因表达域，为中枢神经系统的进化以及脊索动物的系统发育位置带来了新的启示。
