Sarcopterygian fin ontogeny elucidates the origin of hands with digits

How the hand and digits originated from fish fins during the Devonian fin-to-limb transition remains unsolved. Controversy in this conundrum stems from the scarcity of ontogenetic data from extant lobe-finned fishes. We report the patterning of an autopod-like domain by during fin development of the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science advances 2020-08, Vol.6 (34), p.eabc3510-eabc3510
Main Authors: Woltering, Joost M, Irisarri, Iker, Ericsson, Rolf, Joss, Jean M P, Sordino, Paolo, Meyer, Axel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Developmental Biology
Evolutionary Biology
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Summary:How the hand and digits originated from fish fins during the Devonian fin-to-limb transition remains unsolved. Controversy in this conundrum stems from the scarcity of ontogenetic data from extant lobe-finned fishes. We report the patterning of an autopod-like domain by during fin development of the Australian lungfish, the most closely related extant fish relative of tetrapods. Differences from tetrapod limbs include the absence of digit-specific expansion of and and distal limitation of and , which potentially evolved through an enhanced response to signaling in limbs. These developmental patterns indicate that the digit program originated in postaxial fin radials and later expanded anteriorly inside of a preexisting autopod-like domain during the evolution of limbs. Our findings provide a genetic framework for the transition of fins into limbs that supports the significance of classical models proposing a bending of the tetrapod metapterygial axis.
ISSN:2375-2548
2375-2548
DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abc3510