Amphioxus is identified as the closest living relative to vertebrates, and researchers aimed to explore its early embryonic development through a cDNA library.
A total of 5,235 expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) were generated, revealing around 2,493 unique genes, with significant portions remaining unmatched to known sequences.
The study highlights the presence of homologous genes linked to neural development and human diseases, supporting the idea that certain vertebrate-specific genes also exist in the amphioxus genome, aiding in our understanding of vertebrate evolution.