Meeting Abstract S5.9  Monday, Jan. 5  Plasticity Of The Immunoglobulin Domain In The Evolution of Immunity CANNON, J.P.*; LITMAN, G.W.; University of South Florida; University of South Florida jcannon@health.usf.edu Immune receptors are omnipresent in multicellular organisms and comprise a vast array of molecular structures that serve to detect and eliminate pathogenic threats. The immunoglobulin (Ig) domain, a […]

Meeting Abstract S5.7  Monday, Jan. 5  Pecking at the Origin of Vertebrate Diversity ABZHANOV, Arhat; Harvard University, Cambridge abzhanov@fas.harvard.edu The faces of vertebrates are often readily recognizable as they display a number of species-specific characteristics. It is likely that this stunning diversity of cranial morphology in vertebrates was generated by alterations in craniofacial development. We are employing […]

Meeting Abstract S5.6  Monday, Jan. 5  Molecular identification of a sclerotome in lampreys and sharks: implications for the origin of the vertebral column ZHANG, GuangJun*; COHN, Martin/J.; Koch Institute, MIT; Zoology Department, University of Florida zhanggj@mit.edu Origin of the vertebrae is one of the central stories of vertebrate evolution. Vertebral elements first appeared in the jawless fish, […]

Meeting Abstract S5.11  Monday, Jan. 5  How to Integrate Cell-Mol Evolution HICKS, J.W.; Univ. of California, Irvine jhicks@uci.edu Understanding the evolution of complex physiological systems remains a major goal in biology. In the 60s and 70s, the evolution of complex organs and organ systems were often based on just so stories, with little, if any, mechanistic understanding […]

Meeting Abstract S5.8  Monday, Jan. 5  Exploring the role of cell fate specification in chordate heart evolution. DAVIDSON, Brad*; SWEENEY, Sarah; ZHEN, Yisong; RAGKOUSI, Katerina; Univ. of Arizona; Univ. of Arizona; Univ. of Arizona; Univ. of Arizona bjd18@email.arizona.edu Chordate heart evolution appears to involve a gradual increase in complexity; from the simple peristaltic tubes of basal chordates […]

Meeting Abstract S5.10  Monday, Jan. 5  Evolution of the vertebrate cardiopulmonary system under varying atmospheric oxygen supply OWERKOWICZ, T.*; HICKS, J.W.; UC Irvine; UC Irvine towerkow@uci.edu Evolutionary history of the vertebrates has been subject to the vagaries of oxygen flux in Earths atmosphere. Cell-cell signalling in embryonic heart and lungs is highly sensitive to local oxygen tension. […]

Meeting Abstract S5.3  Monday, Jan. 5  Evolution of animal body plans evidence for early sophistication in sponge physiology and morphology LEYS, SP; University of Alberta sleys@ualberta.ca One of the most dramatic transitions in the evolution of animals was becoming multicellular. Multicellularity required coordination among cells for feeding, growth and reproduction, which may initially have been via the […]

Meeting Abstract S5.1  Monday, Jan. 5  Cell-Cell Signaling Drives the Evolution of Complex Traits: Introduction- Lung Evo-Devo TORDAY, John/S*; REHAN, Virender/K; Harbor-UCLA Medical Center; Harbor-UCLA Medical Center jtorday@labiomed.org Physiology is biologic assimilation with the environment through multi-level cell-cell communications. We deconvoluted (Torday and Rehan 2004) lung evolution through Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs) mediating cell-cell interactions for all […]

Meeting Abstract S5.5  Monday, Jan. 5  Brown adipocyte differentiation pathway in birds: an evolutionary road not taken MEZENTSEVA, Nadejda/V*; KUMARTILAKE, Jaliya; NEWMAN, Stuart; New York Medical College, Valhalla; The university of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; New York Medical College, Valhalla mesen2000@gmail.com The adipose organ of mammals consists of white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissue. The main function […]

Meeting Abstract S5.8  Tuesday, Jan. 5  Stem cells, regeneration and the developmental plasticity of planarians SANCHEZ ALVARADO, A; Howard Hughes Medical School, University of Utah School of Medicine sanchez@neuro.utah.edu It is paradoxical that for many animals (including humans), the apparent anatomical stability of their adult bodies is maintained by constant change. Under normal physiological conditions, the functions […]