M. Nikaido

Pronounced expression of extracellular matrix proteoglycans regulated by Wnt pathway underlies the parallel evolution of lip hypertrophy in East African cichlids

The study identifies shared molecular mechanisms in hypertrophied lips of East African cichlids, linking Wnt pathway activation and extracellular matrix proteoglycan expression across different species.

A severe bottleneck impacted the genomic structure of egg-eating cichlids

This study investigates the demographic history of egg-eating cichlids in Lake Victoria, finding a severe bottleneck in one species linked to the introduction of Nile perch.

Plastic loss of motile cilia in the internal gills of Polypterus in response to high CO2 or terrestrial environments

This study shows that Polypterus gills lose motile cilia in terrestrial or high CO2 environments but regain them when returned to water, suggesting evolutionary plasticity in respiratory systems.

Conserved Keratin Gene Clusters in Ancient Fish: an Evolutionary Seed for Terrestrial Adaptation

This study identifies conserved keratin gene clusters in ancient fish and shows their evolutionary relationship to terrestrial vertebrates.