Heterochrony of axis segmentation underlies extreme morphogenesis in the Japanese eel
Ali Seleit, Kazuharu Nomura, Leon Hilgers, Michael Hiller, Kiyoshi Naruse, Yukinori Kazeto, Alexander Aulehla
The paper shows that prolonged stemness in the tail of Japanese eels drives extreme axis segmentation through delayed Hox13 activation and sustained Oct4 expression.
bioRxiv · May 1, 2026 · PreprintDevelopmental Biology