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Evolution of myogenesis in fish: a sturgeon view of the mechanisms of muscle development

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Abstract

Patterns of initial muscle formation are well documented for teleost fish. Here, attention is focused upon sturgeons, which arose close to the base of the actinopterygian radiation and whose early development has remained largely unresearched. We demonstrate that some features of muscle development are common to both groups of fish, the most important being the origin and form of migration of adaxial cells to establish the superficial slow fibre layer. This, together with information on initial innervation and capillarisation, strongly suggests a common basis for muscle developmental mechanisms among fish. An important feature that is different between sturgeons and teleosts is that sturgeons lack any cellular dorsal–ventral separation of the myotome that involves the insertion of muscle pioneer (MP)-like cells at the site of the future horizontal septum. This, and information from other fish and from sarcopterygians, permits the supposition that such MP-defined dorsal–ventral separation is a teleost apomorphism. These and other findings are discussed in relation to their significance for the evolution of fish muscle developmental patterns.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Hans Bergler, Wöllershof Hatchery, Störnstein, Germany, for providing the sturgeon fry; Pierre-Yves Rescan, INRA Rennes, France, for providing MyHCs cDNA; and Anthea Rowlerson, University of London, UK, for the supply of antibodies. Sincere thanks also to Malgorzata Daczewska of the University of Wroclaw, Poland, for the many fruitful discussions in relation to sturgeon development. Hans-Peter Gollmann (Institute of Water Ecology, Fisheries Biology and Lake Research, Scharfling, Austria) together with Adda Maenhardt, Synnoeve Tholo and Andreas Zankl (all University of Salzburg, Austria) provided excellent technical support. The work was supported by Austrian Science Foundation (FWF) grants P16425 and P14193.

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  1. Division of Zoology and Functional Anatomy, Department of Organismic Biology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria

    P. Steinbacher, J. R. Haslett, A. M. Sänger & W. Stoiber

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  1. P. Steinbacher
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Correspondence to P. Steinbacher.

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Steinbacher, P., Haslett, J.R., Sänger, A.M. et al. Evolution of myogenesis in fish: a sturgeon view of the mechanisms of muscle development. Anat Embryol 211, 311–322 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-006-0082-4

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