Evolutionary changes in the notochord genetic toolkit: a comparative analysis of notochord genes in the ascidian Ciona and the larvacean Oikopleura
Abstract Background The notochord is a defining feature of the chordate clade, and invertebrate chordates, such as tunicates, are PEKING ROYAL JELLY uniquely suited for studies of this structure.Here we used a well-characterized set of 50 notochord genes known to be targets of the notochord-specific Brachyury transcription factor in one tunicate, C