Title |
The placenta as a model for understanding the origin and evolution of vertebrate organs
|
---|---|
Published in |
Nature Ecology & Evolution, March 2017
|
DOI | 10.1038/s41559-017-0072 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Oliver W. Griffith, Günter P. Wagner |
Abstract |
How organs originate and evolve is a question fundamental to understanding the evolution of complex multicellular life forms. Vertebrates have a relatively standard body plan with more or less the same conserved set of organs. The placenta is a comparatively more recently evolved organ, derived in many lineages independently. Using placentas as a model, we discuss the genetic basis for organ origins. We show that the evolution of placentas occurs by acquiring new functional attributes to existing tissues, changes in the patterning and development of tissues, and the evolution of novel cell types. We argue that a diversity of genomic changes facilitated these physiological transformations and that these changes are likely to have occurred during the evolution of organs more broadly. Finally, we argue that a key aspect to understanding the evolutionary origin of organs is that they are likely to result from novel interactions between distinct cell populations. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 15 | 16% |
United Kingdom | 6 | 6% |
Australia | 5 | 5% |
Brazil | 3 | 3% |
Chile | 3 | 3% |
Japan | 2 | 2% |
Italy | 2 | 2% |
Spain | 2 | 2% |
Germany | 2 | 2% |
Other | 12 | 13% |
Unknown | 43 | 45% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 53 | 56% |
Scientists | 39 | 41% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 2 | 2% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 126 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Ph. D. Student | 31 | 25% |
Researcher | 18 | 14% |
Student > Master | 17 | 13% |
Student > Bachelor | 14 | 11% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 9 | 7% |
Other | 17 | 13% |
Unknown | 20 | 16% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 41 | 33% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 40 | 32% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 4 | 3% |
Philosophy | 4 | 3% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 3 | 2% |
Other | 11 | 9% |
Unknown | 23 | 18% |