Development of body, head and brain features in the Australian fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata; Marsupialia: Dasyuridae); A postnatal model of forebrain formation
Autor: | Laura Morcom, Annalisa Paolino, Rodrigo Suárez, Peter Kozulin, Laura R. Fenlon, Patricia J. O’Hara, Linda J. Richards, Peter Murray, Robert Englebright |
---|---|
Rok vydání: | 2017 |
Předmět: |
Pigments
0301 basic medicine Dunnart lcsh:Medicine Piriform Cortex Neocortex Mice 0302 clinical medicine Medicine and Health Sciences lcsh:Science Lens (Anatomy) Marsupial Mammals Cerebral Cortex Multidisciplinary biology Brain medicine.anatomical_structure Vertebrates Physical Sciences Anatomy Research Article Basal Forebrain Ocular Anatomy Materials Science Zoology Marsupials 03 medical and health sciences Ocular System medicine Animals Humans Materials by Attribute Sminthopsis crassicaudata lcsh:R Organisms Biology and Life Sciences Dasyuridae biology.organism_classification Olfactory bulb Marsupialia 030104 developmental biology Amniotes Forebrain Eyes lcsh:Q Head Developmental biology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Developmental Biology |
Zdroj: | PLoS ONE PLoS ONE, Vol 12, Iss 9, p e0184450 (2017) |
ISSN: | 1932-6203 |
DOI: | 10.1371/journal.pone.0184450 |
Popis: | Most of our understanding of forebrain development comes from research of eutherian mammals, such as rodents, primates, and carnivores. However, as the cerebral cortex forms largely prenatally, observation and manipulation of its development has required invasive and/or ex vivo procedures. Marsupials, on the other hand, are born at comparatively earlier stages of development and most events of forebrain formation occur once attached to the teat, thereby permitting continuous and non-invasive experimental access. Here, we take advantage of this aspect of marsupial biology to establish and characterise a resourceful laboratory model of forebrain development: the fat-tailed dunnart (Sminthopsis crassicaudata), a mouse-sized carnivorous Australian marsupial. We present an anatomical description of the postnatal development of the body, head and brain in dunnarts, and provide a staging system compatible with human and mouse developmental stages. As compared to eutherians, the orofacial region develops earlier in dunnarts, while forebrain development is largely protracted, extending for more than 40 days versus ca. 15 days in mice. We discuss the benefits of fat-tailed dunnarts as laboratory animals in studies of developmental biology, with an emphasis on how their accessibility in the pouch can help address new experimental questions, especially regarding mechanisms of brain development and evolution. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
Externí odkaz: |