AI Summary

Researchers from the University of Tokyo compared gene activity during embryonic development in cuttlefish, octopus, and snail body parts. They found that genes linked to appendage patterning were expressed along developing cephalopod arms, but similar patterns were absent in developing suckers. Instead, suckers expressed the gene Ets1, which is associated with early embryonic development in mollusks. These results suggest that cephalopod suckers evolved by repurposing existing developmental genes rather than by developing new gene expression patterns.

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