Spatiotemporal Expression of Anticoagulation Factor in Freshwater Leeches.

, which was originally discovered in the salivary glands of the Mexican leech , was newly isolated from . To confirm the temporal expression of during embryogenesis, we carried out semi-quantitative RT-PCR. was uniquely expressed at stage 4 of the cleavage and was strongly expressed in the late stages of organogenesis, as were other members.

Temporal and spatial expression of the Fox gene family in the Leech Helobdella austinensis.

The Forkhead box (Fox) gene family is an evolutionarily ancient gene family named after the Drosophila melanogaster forkhead gene (fkh). Fox genes are highly conserved transcription factors critical for embryogenesis and carcinogenesis. In the current study, we report a whole-genome survey of Fox genes and their expression patterns in the leech Helobdella austienesis.

Differential expression of primary pair-rule genes during bidirectional regeneration in Perionyx excavatus.

The earthworm Perionyx excavatus is a species highly capable of bidirectional regeneration. Pair-rule genes are thought to have an ancestral function in arthropod segmentation. However, orthologs in annelids (i.

Developmental biology and potential use of (Annelida: Hirudinea) as an "Evo-Devo" model organism.

Background: The need for the adaptation of species of annelids as "Evo-Devo" model organisms of the superphylum Lophotrochozoa to refine the understanding of the phylogenetic relationships between bilaterian organisms, has promoted an increase in the studies dealing with embryonic development among related species such as leeches from the Glossiphoniidae family. The present study aims to describe the embryogenesis of (Oka, 1910), a freshwater glossiphoniid leech, chiefly distributed in East Asia, and validate standard molecular biology techniques to support the use of this species as an additional model for "Evo-Devo" studies.

Results: undergoes direct development, and follows the highly conserved clitellate annelid mode of spiral cleavage development; the duration from the egg laying to the juvenile stage is ~7.

Expression patterns of duplicated snail genes in the leech Helobdella.

snail gene family members are zinc-finger transcription factors with key roles in morphogenesis. Involvement of snail family genes in mesoderm formation has been observed in insects and mammals. The snail genes are also involved in cell motility, neural differentiation, cell fate, survival decision, and left-right identity.

Spatiotemporal expression of a twist homolog in the leech Helobdella austinensis.

Genes of the twist family encode bHLH transcription factors known to be involved in the regulation and differentiation of early mesoderm. Here, we report our characterization of Hau-twist, a twist homolog from the leech Helobdella austinensis, a tractable lophotrochozoan representative. Hau-twist was expressed in segmental founder cells of the mesodermal lineage, in subsets of cells within the mesodermal lineage of the germinal plate, in circumferential muscle fibers of a provisional integument during segmentation and organogenesis stages and on the ventral side of the developing proboscis.