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The molecular control of spatial patterning in amphioxus

The embryology of amphioxus (Chordata: Cephalochordata) has features in common with vertebrate embryology, reflecting a close phylogenetic relationship between the two taxa. Amphioxus differs from vertebrates, however, in having less complex organogenesis and cranial morphogenesis, and less specialization along the anteroposterior body axis. Here we illustrate this by describing the embryology of an amphioxus species, Branchiostoma floridae. To gain further insight into the origins, evolutionary divergence and comparative embryology of these taxa, we are comparing the molecular control of embryonic development in amphioxus and vertebrates. For these analyses, we are focusing on homeobox genes: a diverse multigene family implicated in developmental control in many Metazoa. We report the results of PCR-based experiments which reveal that the amphioxus genome has homeobox genes from several recognized gene classes. The PCR experiments also suggest that amphioxus has fewer ‘Hox’ and ‘Msx’ class homeobox genes than do vertebrates. We suggest, therefore, that amphioxus may be a living descendant from an intermediate stage in the evolution of homeobox gene family complexity, and the complexity of vertebrate developmental control. The pattern of gene expression during embryogenesis has been described for one amphioxus homeobox gene of the Hox class. This gene is primarily expressed in the presumptive neural tube of amphioxus neurulae, later embryos and larvae, in a spatially-restricted manner. The expression data lead us to suggest that Hox genes are involved in the control of spatial patterning in the neural tube of amphioxus; the data are also interpreted as giving insight into possible homology between the amphioxus and vertebrate body plans.