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A triploblast origin for Myxozoa?

Nature volume 392, pages 346–347 (1998)Cite this article

Abstract

Hox genes, which play key roles in the development of body plans, have been described from a variety of metazoans1. Here we report the presence of Hox class genes that are typical of triploblasts in Myxozoa, formerly a protozoan taxon. This finding confirms Myxozoa's phylogenetic affinity with the Bilateria and reveals an extreme example of parasitic degeneracy.

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Figure 1: Inferred amino-acid sequences of myxozoan Hox homeodomains aligned with Antennapedia (Drosophila)10, and representative cnidarian sequences from Hydra vulgaris (Cnox-1)5 and Eleutheria dichotoma (Cnox-2)5.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    C. L. Anderson & E. U. Canning

  2. Department of Animal and Microbial Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights, PO Box 228, Reading, RG6 2AJ, UK

    Beth Okamura

Authors
  1. C. L. Anderson
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  2. E. U. Canning
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  3. Beth Okamura
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Anderson, C., Canning, E. & Okamura, B. A triploblast origin for Myxozoa?. Nature 392, 346–347 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/32801

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