Skip Navigation


Journal of Heredity Advance Access originally published online on January 13, 2005
Journal of Heredity 2005 96(3):185-196; doi:10.1093/jhered/esi028
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
96/3/185    most recent
esi028v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (20)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jeffery, W. R.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Jeffery, W. R.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© 2005 The American Genetic Association

Adaptive Evolution of Eye Degeneration in the Mexican Blind Cavefish

W. R. Jeffery

Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742

Address correspondence to William R. Jeffery at the address above, or e-mail: jeffery{at}umd.edu

The evolutionary mechanisms responsible for eye degeneration in cave-adapted animals have not been resolved. Opposing hypotheses invoking neural mutation or natural selection, each with certain genetic and developmental expectations, have been advanced to explain eye regression, although little or no experimental evidence has been presented to support or reject either theory. Here we review recent developmental and molecular studies in the teleost Astyanax mexicanus, a single species consisting of a sighted surface-dwelling form (surface fish) and many blind cave-dwelling forms (cavefish), which shed new light on this problem. The manner of eye development and degeneration, the ability to experimentally restore eyes, gene expression patterns, and comparisons between different cavefish populations all provide important clues for understanding the evolutionary forces responsible for eye degeneration. A key discovery is that Hedgehog midline signaling is expanded and inhibits eye formation by inducing lens apoptosis in cavefish embryos. Accordingly, eyes could have been lost by default as a consequence of natural selection for constructive traits, such as feeding structures, which are positively regulated by Hh signaling. We conclude from these studies that eye degeneration in cavefish may be caused by adaptive evolution and pleiotropy.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Biol LettHome page
M. Tobler, S. W. Coleman, B. D. Perkins, and G. G. Rosenthal
Reduced opsin gene expression in a cave-dwelling fish
Biol Lett, February 23, 2010; 6(1): 98 - 101.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 GeneticsHome page
C. S. Ng, A. M. Hamilton, A. Frank, O. Barmina, and A. Kopp
Genetic Basis of Sex-Specific Color Pattern Variation in Drosophila malerkotliana
Genetics, September 1, 2008; 180(1): 421 - 429.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Exp. Biol.Home page
M. Yoshizawa and W. R. Jeffery
Shadow response in the blind cavefish Astyanax reveals conservation of a functional pineal eye
J. Exp. Biol., February 1, 2008; 211(3): 292 - 299.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 DevelopmentHome page
A. Menuet, A. Alunni, J.-S. Joly, W. R. Jeffery, and S. Retaux
Expanded expression of Sonic Hedgehog in Astyanax cavefish: multiple consequences on forebrain development and evolution
Development, March 1, 2007; 134(5): 845 - 855.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Biol LettHome page
J. H Fullard, J. M Ratcliffe, and H. ter Hofstede
Neural evolution in the bat-free habitat of Tahiti: partial regression in an anti-predator auditory system
Biol Lett, February 22, 2007; 3(1): 26 - 28.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.