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The Coelacanth Virginia Mason Benaroya Research Institute The Coelacanth is nicknamed the living fossil, because it has

experienced little morphological change for 300 million years. It was thought to be extinct 65 million years ago until its discovery in 1938 in a fish market in East London, South Africa, by Marjorie Courtenay Latimer and subsequent report by J. L. B. Smith. It is currently considered an endangered species, one reason for which is because each generation takes 20 years, and they undergo live birth with eggs held internally. Its morphology is unique in comparison to known living species; some strange characteristics include fleshy lobed fins (displaying similarities to limbs), an entirely cartilaginous skeleton, and a notochord-like structure serving as a spine instead of a more typical bony vertebral column. The coelacanth also possesses hollow spines and no ribs. Later, Mark Erdmann found another coelacanth in a fish market in Indonesia. This established the existence of two known colonies of coelacanth 10,000 miles apart, which was striking as members of both groups were so similar. In order to test the function of a coelacanth gene, experiments were performed in which the gene was spliced into different biological systems, and markers were applied so that affected systems could be observed. For example, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) transgenesis was applied to mice, and staining allowed researchers to observe where the gene was expressed. Another endeavor being undertaken currently is the sequencing of the coelacanth genome. This will allow researchers to determine the phylogenetic position of the coelacanth, deduce interrelationships with other species, and inform the evolution of tetrapods. It can allow us to examine further the evolution of innovative structures such as limbs, genes lost in tetrapods, and the logic of regulation in the genome (cis-regulatory elements). Exaptation of ancient genomic elements may also be explored. A formidable side effect of the sequencing of the coelacanth genome is that of international collaboration and goodwill. Other angles to be explored are how slow the genome evolves, how long is the coelacanths evolutionary branch, and the exaptation, or co-opting of genes for other purposes. Examples of exaptation include the hox 14 gene enhancer which may have been coopted by HOX A clusters to serve biological functions. In essence, the coelacanth is a prime species for genetic research. It is a very good outgroup to tetrapods due to its slow rate of genomic evolution, and there is plenty of rationale for its sequencing. It can provide more insight into landing, or the evolution of land animals from sea animals.

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