Int. J. Dev. Biol. 58: 429 - 443 (2014)
Special Issue: Spiralian Model Systems
Developmental biology of the leech Helobdella
Published: 15 January 2015
Abstract
Glossiphoniid leeches of the genus Helobdella provide experimentally tractable models for studies in evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo). Here, after a brief rationale, we will summarize our current understanding of Helobdella development and highlight the near term prospects for future investigations, with respect to the issues of: D quadrant specification; the transition from spiral to bilaterally symmetric cleavage; segmentation, and the connections between segmental and non-segmental tissues; modifications of BMP signaling in dorsoventral patterning and the O-P equivalence group; germ line specification and genome rearrangements. The goal of this contribution is to serve as a summary of, and guide to, published work.
Keywords
embryonic patterning, Helobdella, leech, Lophotrochozoa, spiralian