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. 2007 Aug 1;2(8):e694. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0000694

Figure 3. In situ expression of Hox-like genes in the hydrozoan Eleutheria dichotoma.

Figure 3

The five Hox-like genes, Cnox-1 to Cnox-5, display differential spatio-temporal expression patterns along the oral-aboral body axis. Cnox-1 (A1–A4) is expressed ectodermally in the so-called “Nesselring”, an area of undifferentiated cells lining the ring canal of medusae (cross section: A3, A4). Cnox-2 is expressed in the entoderm of developing medusa buds (B1, B2), in 2-day-old planula larvae ectodermally and orally (B5), in 5-day-old planula larvae along the body column ectodermally (B7) and at the oral pole of primary (B9) and adult polyps (B3; single polyp with 4 tentacles). Cnox-4 is exclusively expressed at the aboral pole of primary polyps (C2). Cnox-3 expression perfectly marks the most ectodermal oral part of the manubrium (D1, D2). Cnox-5 shows a remarkable pattern of expression moving from aboral only in the planula larva (E2) to both oral and aboral simultaneously in the metamorphosing polyp (E4). NBT/X-phosphate (A1, A4, B1–B3, D1) and fluorescein-labeled probes (A2, B5, B7, B9, C2, D2, E2, E4). Signals in B5, B7, B9, C2, E2 and E4 are overlaid with DAPI staining. Morphologies are shown in light microscopy (B4, B6, B8, C1, E1, E3). Scale bar is 50µm. A2, D1, E1–E4 are reprinted with permission from Elsevier Publishers [11].