Darrin Hulsey, an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, co-authored “An Ancient Gene Network Is Co-opted for Teeth on Old and New Jaws,” which appeared in the February 10 issue of PLoS Biology. The authors report on a group of dental genes in cichlids (members of the Cichlidae, a family of fish) that they believe were the blueprint for the first tooth, 500 million years ago. These original dental genes were the precursors for all teeth in vertebrates today. The research was supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.

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Selected Publications

Fraser, G.J., C.D. Hulsey, et al. 2009. An ancient gene network is co-opted for teeth on old and new jaws, PLoS Biology 7 (2) e31 doi:10.1371

Hulsey, C.D., M.C. Mims, and J.T. Streelman. 2007. Do constructional constraints influence cichlid craniofacial diversification? Proceedings of the Royal Society (London) Series B. 274, 1867–1875.

Johnson, S.G., C.D. Hulsey, and F.J. García de León. 2007. Spatial mosaic evolution of snail defensive traits. BMC Evolutionary Biology.

Hulsey, C.D., F.J. García de León, and R. Rodiles-Hernández. 2006. Micro- and macroevolutionary decoupling of cichid jaws: a test of Liem’s key innovation hypothesis. Evolution. 60: 2096-2109.

Hulsey, C.D. 2006. Function of a key morphological innovation: fusion of the cichlid pharyngeal jaw. Proceedings of the Royal Society (London) Series B. 273: 669-675.

Tags: Biology • Darrin Hulsey • Evolution • Genetics