RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Assessing <em>Myf5</em> and <em>Lbx1</em> contribution to carapace development by reproducing their turtle-specific signatures in mouse embryos
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2022.01.18.476730
DO 10.1101/2022.01.18.476730
A1 Tekko, Triin
A1 Nóvoa, Ana
A1 Mallo, Moisés
YR 2022
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2022/01/18/2022.01.18.476730.abstract
AB Background The turtle carapace is an evolutionary novelty resulting from changes in the processes that build ribs and their associated muscles in most tetrapod species. Turtle embryos have several unique features that might play a role in this process, including the carapacial ridge, a Myf5 gene with shorter coding region that generates an alternative splice variant lacking exon 2, and unusual expression patterns of Lbx1 and HGF.Results We generated Myf5 alleles reproducing the Myf5 turtle expression features. At mid gestation, mouse embryos expressing Myf5 lacking exon 2 reproduced some early properties of turtle somites, but still developed into viable and fertile mice. Extending Lbx1 expression into the hypaxial dermomyotomal lip of trunk somites to mimic the turtle Lbx1 expression pattern, produced fusions in the distal part of the ribs.Conclusions Turtle-like Myf5 activity might generate a plastic state in developing trunk somites under which they can either enter carapace morphogenetic routes, possibly triggered by signals from the carapacial ridge, or still engage in the development of a standard tetrapod ribcage in the absence of those signals. In addition, trunk Lbx1 expression might play a later role in the formation of the lateral border of the carapace.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.