Phosphatized Polar Lobe-Forming Embryos from the Precambrian of Southwest China
Abstract
In developing embryos of some extant spiralian animals, polar lobe formation is one of the symmetry-breaking mechanisms for segregation of maternal cytoplasmic substances to certain blastomeres and not others. Polar lobe formation leads to unique early cleavage morphologies that include trilobed, J-shaped, and five-lobed structures. Fossil embryos similar to modern lobeforming embryos are recognized from the Precambrian Doushantuo Formation phosphates, Weng'an, Guizhou Province, China. These embryos are abundant and form a developmental sequence comparable to different developing stages observed in lobe-forming embryos of extant spiralians. These data imply that lobe formation is an evolutionarily ancient process of embryonic specification.
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The Doushantuo embryos include a cleavage-stage embryo that forms polar lobes, as do a variety of modern protostome eggs.
“A cleavage-stage embryo that forms polar lobes, as do a variety of modern protostome eggs, is reproduced in Figure 3E (Chen et al. 2006)”
From An integrated view of precambrian eumetazoan evolution (2009) · cites this paper as Chen et al. 2006
Cites
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- Authors
- Chen, J.-Y., Bottjer, D. J., Davidson, E. H., Dornbos, S. Q., Gao, X., Yang, Y.-H., Li, C.-W., Li, G., Wang, X.-Q., Xian, D.-C., Wu, H.-J., Hwu, Y.-K., & Tafforeau, P.
- Affiliations
- Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Institute of Evo/Developmental Biology, and State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China.
- University of Southern California (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2006-06-16
- Volume
- 312
- Issue
- 5780
- Pages
- 1644-1646
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2114435986
- Cited by
- 95
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 4.03
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- CaltechAUTHORS (California Institute of Technology) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Keywords
- embryo cleavage, symmetry breaking, Precambrian fossils, Doushantuo Formation
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Annelida, Blastomeres, China, Embryo, Nonmammalian, Biological Evolution, Fossils, Invertebrates, Mollusca, Phosphates, Platyhelminths, Geologic Sediments, Embryonic Development
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