ReviewCurrent topics in developmental biology2009
Chapter 8. Evolution and development in the cavefish Astyanax.
Review in Current topics in developmental biology, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 49 papers.
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Who cites it
49 citing papers in PubMed, 94 citations in OpenAlex.
- Description of the second scale-developed and eyed Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) species from South Guizhou, China, with evolutionary implications.Journal of fish biology · 2026Article
- Teleosts as Models for Epigenetic Inheritance.Molecular ecology · 2026Review
- Water Parameters and Hydrodynamics in Rivers and Caves HostingEcology and evolution · 2026Article
- CRISPR screening reveals genetic regulators associated with the evolution of eye degeneration.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- The rx3 Gene Contributes to the Evolution of Eye Loss in the Cavefish Astyanax mexicanus.Evolution & development · 2025Article
- Automated Behavioral Profiling Using Neural Networks Reveals Differences in Stress-Like Behavior Between Cave and Surface-Dwelling Astyanax mexicanus.Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution · 2025Article
- Subterranean salamanders lean into mechanical sense following vision loss.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Parallel sensory compensation following independent subterranean colonization by groundwater salamanders (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Variable Craniofacial Shape and Development among Multiple Cave-Adapted Populations ofIntegrative organismal biology (Oxford, England) · 2024Article
- Discovery of putative long non-coding RNAs expressed in the eyes of Astyanax mexicanus (Actinopterygii: Characidae).Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Establishment, Long-Term Maintenance, and Characterization of Primary Liver Cells from Astyanax mexicanus.Current protocols · 2023Article
- Article
- Kinematic analysis of social interactions deconstructs the evolved loss of schooling behavior in cavefish.PloS one · 2022Article
- Maternal control of visceral asymmetry evolution in Astyanax cavefish.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Neurotrophins in the Brain of Teleost Fish: The State of the Art.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2021Review
- Comparative development and ocular histology between epigean and subterranean salamanders (PeerJ · 2021Article
- Systemic paralogy and function of retinal determination network homologs in arachnids.BMC genomics · 2020Article
- Dark-rearing uncovers novel gene expression patterns in an obligate cave-dwelling fish.Journal of experimental zoology. Part B, Molecular and developmental evolution · 2020Article
- Exploring the Expression of Cardiac Regulators in a Vertebrate Extremophile: The Cichlid FishJournal of developmental biology · 2020Article
- Behavior-related gene regulatory networks: A new level of organization in the brain.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2020Review
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Abstract
The teleost Astyanax mexicanus is a single species consisting of two radically different forms: a sighted pigmented surface-dwelling form (surface fish) and a blind depigmented cave-dwelling form (cavefish). The two forms of Astyanax have favorable attributes, including descent from a common ancestor, ease of laboratory culture, and the ability to perform genetic analysis, permitting their use as a model system to explore questions in evolution and development. Here, we review current research on the molecular, cellular, and developmental mechanisms underlying the loss of eyes and pigmentation in Astyanax cavefish. Although functional eyes are lacking in adults, cavefish embryos begin to develop eye primordia, which subsequently degenerate. The major cause of eye degeneration appears to be apoptotic cell death of the lens, which prevents the growth of other optic tissues, including the retina. Ultimately, the loss of the eye is the cause of craniofacial differences between cavefish and surface fish. Lens apoptosis is induced by enhanced activity of the Hedgehog signaling system along the cavefish embryonic midline. The absence of melanin pigmentation in cavefish is due to a block in the ability of undifferentiated melanoblasts to accumulate L-tyrosine, the precursor of L-DOPA and melanin, in melanosomes. Genetic analysis has shown that this defect is caused by a hypomorphic mutation in the p/oca2 gene encoding an integral melanosomal membrane protein. We discuss how current studies of eye and pigment regression have revealed some of the mechanisms in which cavefish development has been changed during evolution.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.