Fig. 9.

The evolutionary modification of AGS proteins among echinoderms. a Predicted motifs of each AGS protein are depicted based on NCBI blast search results (See Supplementary Tables. 6 and 7 for details). Conserved TPR domains are highlighted in purple and GoLoco motifs in yellow (See Supplementary Table 7B for the specific sequence of each GoLoco motif). Less conserved or partial domains are colored in light purple or light yellow, respectively. () indicates species used to construct each cartoon. Vasa, red; AGS, green. b A model for introduction of micromeres during echinoid diversification. The timing of micromere formation coincides with introduction of GoLoco motif#1 in AGS protein during echinoid diversification