Abstract
Members of the TGF‐β superfamily of signaling molecules are widespread in metazoans, but the evolutionary origin of particular subclasses of signaling mechanisms is poorly defined. The DPP/BMP class, for example, is implicated in dorsal‐ventral patterning, neural patterning, and limb development. Here we report the presence of several components of a DPP/BMP‐specific signal transduction cascade in a nonbilateral animal, the coral Acropora millepora. The discovery of these components, a putative type I receptor and two putative receptor‐activated Smads, suggests that DPP/BMP signaling predates both dorsal‐ventral pattern formation and limb development. We postulate that an ancestral role in neuroepithelial patterning may account for the high level of conservation between DPP/BMP signaling components found in this nonbilateral animal and the more complex triploblastic organisms of the arthropod and chordate phyla.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 241-250 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Evolution and Development |
Volume | 3 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2001 |
Externally published | Yes |