New study reveals mechanisms behind trunk to tail transition in vertebrates
One of the most remarkable anatomical differences among vertebrate bodies is the relative size of their neck, trunk and tail. This can be illustrated by comparing the bodies of a typical snake and of a long tailed lizard. They are both very long and superficially similar. However, most of the snake's body is a trunk full with organs of the digestive, excretory and reproductive systems, whereas the largest part of the lizard's body is a muscular tail. These different body plans are genetically determined during embryonic development. In the latest issue of the journal Developmental Cell, Moisés Mallo and his group at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), Portugal, showed that the trunk to tail transition is intrinsically associated with the induction of the legs and the embryonic cloaca, and that this process is coordinated by a genetic cascade triggered by the signaling factor Gdf11. This study may contribute to...