Solution Structure and Phylogenetics of Prod1, a Member of the Three-Finger Protein Superfamily Implicated in Salamander Limb Regeneration

Prod1 is a cell-surface molecule of the three-finger protein (TFP) superfamily involved in the specification of newt limb PD identity. The TFP superfamily is a highly diverse group of metazoan proteins that includes snake venom toxins, mammalian transmembrane receptors and miscellaneous signaling molecules..The available data suggest that Prod1, and thereby its role in encoding PD identity, is restricted to salamanders. The lack of comparable limb-regenerative capability in other adult vertebrates could be correlated with the absence of the Prod1 gene

The bubble snails (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia) of Mozambique: an overlooked biodiversity hotspot

This first account, dedicated to the shallow water marine heterobranch gastropods of Mozambique is presented with a focus on the clades Acteonoidea and Cephalaspidea. Specimens were obtained as a result of sporadic sampling and two dedicated field campaigns between the years of 2012 and 2015, conducted along the northern and southern coasts of Mozambique. Specimens were collected by hand in the intertidal and subtidal reefs by snorkelling or SCUBA diving down to a depth of 33 m. Thirty-two species were found, of which 22 are new records to Mozambique and five are new for the Western Indian Ocean. This account raises the total number of shallow water Acteonoidea and Cephalaspidea known in Mozambique to 39 species, which represents approximately 50 % of the Indian Ocean diversity and 83 % of the diversity of these molluscs found in the Red Sea. A gap in sampling was identified in the central swamp/mangrove bio-region of Mozambique, and therefore, we suggest that future research efforts concentrate on or at least consider this region.publishedVersio

The brain of the Remipedia (Crustacea) and an alternative hypothesis on their phylogenetic relationships

Remipedia are rare and ancient mandibulate arthropods inhabiting almost inaccessible submerged cave systems. Their phylogenetic position is still enigmatic and the subject of extremely controversial debates. To contribute arguments to this discussion, we analyzed the brain of Godzilliognomus frondosus Yager, 1989 (Remipedia, Godzilliidae) and provide a detailed 3D reconstruction of its anatomy. This reconstruction yielded the surprising finding that in comparison with the brain of other crustaceans such as representatives of the Branchiopoda and Maxillopoda the brain of G. frondosus is highly organized and well differentiated. It is matched in complexity only by the brain of “higher” crustaceans (Malacostraca) and Hexapoda. A phylogenetic analysis limited to brain anatomy across the Mandibulata strongly contradicts the prevailing hypothesis that the Remipedia are a basal, ancestral crustacean group but instead argues in favor of a remipede-malacostracan-hexapod clade and most likely a sister-group relationship of Remipedia and Malacostraca