Role of BMP signaling during early development of the annelid Capitella teleta.

The mechanisms regulating nervous system development are still unknown for a wide variety of taxa. In insects and vertebrates, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling plays a key role in establishing the dorsal-ventral (D-V) axis and limiting the neuroectoderm to one side of that axis, leading to speculation about the conserved evolution of centralized nervous systems. Studies outside of insects and vertebrates show a more diverse picture of what, if any role, BMP signaling plays in neural development across Bilateria.