The Ancient Origins of Neural Substrates for Land Walking

• Published in: Cell Vol. 172; no. 4; pp. 667 - 682.e15
• Main Authors: Jung, Heekyung, Baek, Myungin, D’Elia, Kristen P., Boisvert, Catherine, Currie, Peter D., Tay, Boon-Hui, Venkatesh, Byrappa, Brown, Stuart M., Heguy, Adriana, Schoppik, David, Dasen, Jeremy S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 08.02.2018
• Subjects: Animal Fins - physiology; Animals; Avian Proteins - genetics; Avian Proteins - metabolism; Chick Embryo; Chickens - physiology; development; evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Fish Proteins - genetics; Fish Proteins - metabolism; Homeodomain Proteins - genetics; Homeodomain Proteins - metabolism; Hox gene; locomotion; motor neuron; Muscle, Skeletal - physiology; Nerve Net - physiology; neural circuit; Skates, Fish - physiology; spinal cord; Swimming - physiology; Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Walking - physiology; Zebrafish - physiology; neural circuit; development; Hox gene; motor neuron; locomotion; spinal cord; evolution

Walking is the predominant locomotor behavior expressed by land-dwelling vertebrates, but it is unknown when the neural circuits that are essential for limb control first appeared. Certain fish species display walking-like behaviors, raising the possibility that the underlying circuitry originated i...