2001/08/01 by Charles B. Kimmel, Craig T. Miller, Roger J. Keynes · 2 citations
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Ichthyology and Marine Biology #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation #Neural crest #Mesoderm #Anatomy #Cranial neural crest #Biology #Zebrafish #Vertebrate #Skeleton (computer programming) #Crest #Evolutionary biology #Embryo #Embryonic stem cell #Cell biology #Genetics
paper · doi:10.1017/s0021878201008068
openalex publication_date 2001/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/22
Here we present ideas connecting the behaviour of the cranial neural crest during development with the venerable, perhaps incorrect, view that gill-supporting cartilages of an ancient agnathan evolved into the skeleton of an early gnathostome's jaw. We discuss the pattern of migration of the cranial neural crest ectomesenchyme in zebrafish, along with the subsequent arrangement of postmigratory crest and head mesoderm in the nascent pharyngeal segments (branchiomeres), in diverse gnathostomes and in lampreys. These characteristics provide for a plausible von Baerian explanation for the problematic inside-outside change in topology of the gills and their supports between these 2 major groups of vertebrates. We consider it likely that the jaw supports did indeed arise from branchiomeric cartilages.