Developmental genoarchitectonics as a key tool to interpret the mature anatomy of the chondrichthyan hypothalamus according to the prosomeric model

Abstract

The hypothalamus is a key vertebrate brain region involved in survival and physiological functions. Understanding hypothalamic organization and evolution is important to deciphering many aspects of vertebrate biology. Recent comparative studies based on gene expression patterns have proposed the existence of hypothalamic histogenetic domains (paraventricular, TPa/PPa; subparaventricular, TSPa/PSPa; tuberal, Tu/RTu; perimamillary, PM/PRM; and mamillary, MM/RM), revealing conserved evolutionary trends. To shed light on the functional relevance of these histogenetic domains, this work aims to interpret the location of developed cell groups according to the prosomeric model in the hypothalamus of the catshark Scyliorhinus canicula, a representative of Chondrichthyans (the sister group of Osteichthyes, at the base of the gnathostome lineage). To this end, we review in detail the expression patterns of ScOtp, ScDlx2, and ScPitx2, as well as Pax6-immunoreactivity in embryos at stage 32, when the morphology of the adult catshark hypothalamus is already organized. We also propose homologies with mammals when possible. This study provides a comprehensive tool to better understand previous and novel data on hypothalamic development and evolution.

Distribution of gamma‐aminobutyric acid immunoreactivity in the brain of the Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri): Comparison with other fishes

“…For describing the regionalization of the sturgeon forebrain, we adopted the prosomeric model (López et al., 2022; Lozano et al., 2023; Puelles, 2019; Puelles & Rubenstein, 2003, 2015), and divisions of the sturgeon hypothalamus followed as far as possible those of Santos‐Durán et al. (2022) in sharks. The description of immunoreactive structures was done topographically with respect to the anterior‐posterior, dorsoventral, and mediolateral axes of the head.…”