Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
8
pubmed:dateCreated
2004-7-20
pubmed:abstractText
One of the great challenges in biology is to understand how particular complex morphological and physiological characters originated in specific evolutionary lineages. In this article, we address the origin of the vertebrate hypothalamic-pituitary-peripheral gland (H-P-PG) endocrine system, a complex network of specialized tissues, ligands and receptors. Analysis of metazoan nucleotide and protein sequences reveals a patchwork pattern of H-P-PG gene conservation between vertebrates and closely related invertebrates (ascidians). This is consistent with a model of how the vertebrate H-P-PG endocrine system could have emerged in relatively few steps by gene family expansion and by regulatory and structural modifications to genes that are present in a chordate ancestor. Some of these changes might have resulted in new connections between metabolic or signaling pathways, such as the bridging of 'synthesis islands' to form an efficient system for steroid hormone synthesis.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Aug
pubmed:issn
0168-9525
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
20
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
359-66
pubmed:dateRevised
2010-11-18
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2004
pubmed:articleTitle
Piecing together evolution of the vertebrate endocrine system.
pubmed:affiliation
Serono Reproductive Biology Institute, One Technology Place, Rockland, MA 02370, USA. robert.campbell@serrono.com
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article