Janine M. Ziermann-Canabarro

Howard University | HU · Department of Anatomy

Numerous human syndromes are characterized by congenital heart defects and craniofacial anomalies. This is because the development of the head and heart are closely related. Several studies revealed that specific regions of the myocardium are closer related to specific head muscle groups than to other myocardial regions. The gene regulatory network...

During anatomical dissection of a female body donor at the Howard University College of Medicine, a rare renal anomaly was discovered. Detailed anatomical and histological analyses on this anomaly were compared to a normal kidney from another donor and previously published reports from a comprehensive literature review. Anatomical assessment confir...

The epigenetic phenomenon of genomic imprinting is puzzling. While epigenetic modifications in general are widely known in most species, genomic imprinting in the animal kingdom is restricted to autosomes of therian mammals, mainly eutherians, and to a lesser extent in marsupials. Imprinting causes monoallelic gene expression. It represents functio...

Several studies describe the development of the chondrocranium of vertebrates. The details in these studies vary a lot, which makes it hard to compare developmental patterns and identify evolutionary trends. Therefore, we aim to close this gap for anurans, which is the largest order of amphibians. We present here a detailed description of the chond...

The vertebrate head and its skull represent a significant innovation that has played a key role in the evolutionary and ecological success of vertebrates. For a global and integral understanding of the evolution of the head skeleton, it is essential to have reliable information on the development of chondrocranium in a wide range of vertebrate spec...

Collagens are structural proteins that are predominantly found in the extracellular matrix of multicellular animals, where they are mainly responsible for the stability and structural integrity of various tissues. All collagens contain polypeptide strands (α-chains). There are several types of collagens, some of which differ significantly in form,...

Gymnophiona (caecilians) are inconspicuous, wormlike amphibians that are often hidden from human sight due to their aquatic or fossorial lifestyles. While Google Trends data have been widely used within conservation biology to provide information about the relative interest in species, and therefore of their flagship-making potential, as well as to...

INTRODUCTION The gastrulation brain homeobox (Gbx) genes are essential for patterning and maintenance of neurons along the anteroposterior axis of the developing neural tube. Knockout (ko) of Gbx2 results in neonatal lethality associated with neurological and other defects. To understand pathologies, ko studies are not realistic as gene loss usuall...

For decades it has been established that head muscle development differs from trunk muscle development. Similarly known, even though not in such detail, is that different subgroups of head muscles develop dependent on different underlying gene regulatory networks. Even less well studied are the tissue interactions during the developmental processes...

In general, the vertebrate reproductive tract consists of gonads and their associated ducts and glands. It has three to four layers that surround it termed the mucosa, submucosa, muscular, and serosa. This is a common surfpech found in lagoons, estuaries, and coastal streams along the Pacific coast from Baja California to Alaska. Surfperches (Embio...

The head is often considered the most complex part of the vertebrate body as many different cell types contribute to a huge variation of structures in a very limited space. Most of these cell types also interact with each other to ensure the proper development of skull, brain, muscles, nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels. While there are g...

Collagens are structural proteins that are predominantly found in the extracellular matrix, where they are mainly responsible for the stability and structural integrity of various tissues. There are several different types of collagens, some of which differ significantly in form, function, and tissue specificity. Subdivisions into so-called collage...

Background: The craniofacial skeleton is an evolutionary innovation of vertebrates. Due to its complexity and importance to protect the brain and aid in essential functions (e.g., feeding), its development requires a precisely tuned sequence of chondrification and/or ossification events. The comparison of sequential patterns of cartilage formation...

The occurrence of paired pharyngeal arches (PAs) during the embryonic development of vertebrates is an essential step for the formation of head and heart structures. In fish these arches are often called branchial arches. Each PA is very simple built. On the outside is a layer of ectodermal epithelium, on the inside a layer of endodermal epithelium...

Amphibians are a diverse animal class but are often only associated with frogs and salamanders in their most classical forms. However, each order within amphibians (frogs, salamanders, and caecilians) has highly specialized characters and/or species that fascinate researchers as well as laypersons world-wide. This special issue is aimed to provide...

Animal body parts evolve with variable degrees of integration that nonetheless yield functional adult phenotypes: but, how? The analysis of modularity with Anatomical Network Analysis (AnNA) is used to quantitatively determine phenotypic modules based on the physical connection among anatomical elements, an approach that is valuable to understand d...

Faculty Position in Molecular & Cell Biology The Department of Anatomy in the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., is seeking applicants for a full-time Assistant Professor tenure-track position to start in the summer of 2021. Applicants must possess a Ph.D. and have postdoctoral experience. Within the context of molecular and...

The cardiopharyngeal field (CPF) includes anterior lateral mesoderm of the first heart field and the contiguous pharyngeal mesoderm. The latter gives rise to second‐heart‐field‐derived heart regions and branchiomeric head muscles. Neural crest cells (NCCs) surround and infiltrate mesoderm cells, forming connective tissue of head and heart musculatu...

Background The Gastrulation‐brain‐homeobox (Gbx) transcription factor family member, Gbx2 , regulates diverse developmental processes. Gene inactivation studies in mice have shown that expression of Gbx2 is required for the correct formation of rhombomeres r1‐r3. Importantly, loss of Gbx2 function in mouse embryos ( Gbx2 −/− ), results in aberrant...

Come for free, participate in our round table discussions, and honor a great scientist and person. Free and open to anyone interested, with an amazing list of speakers and talks, as none of the most renowned scientists in the field that was invited wanted to miss this unique opportunity to honor the amazing Drew Noden.

Symposium honoring one of the greatest and most influential developmental biologist of the last decades.

The ill-named “logic of monsters” hypothesis of Pere Alberch - one of the founders of modern evo-devo - emphasized the importance of “internal rules” due to strong developmental constraints, linked teratologies to developmental processes and patterns, and contradicted hypotheses arguing that birth defects are related to a chaotic and random disarra...

All vertebrates start their development from a zygote and the processes from this cell to a complex organism are often complicated and include many gene regulatory networks, cell migrations, cell differentiations, communication between cells and between tissues, etc. Earliest mis-regulations in those processes lead almost always to the demise of th...

Recent findings that urochordates are the closest sister group of vertebrates have dramatically changed our understanding of chordate evolution and of the origin of the vertebrate head and its muscles. To better understand the evolution and diversity of chordates, in particular the morphological and taxonomical diversity of the vertebrates, it is c...

The vertebrate head is the most complex part of the animal body and its diversity in nature reflects a variety of life styles, feeding modes, and ecological adaptations. This book will take you on a journey to discover the origin and diversification of the head, which evolved from a seemingly headless chordate ancestor. Despite their structural div...

The evolution of jaws marked an important transition in the evolution of vertebrates, allowing them to become successful, active predators. Some developmental events associated with this transition can be deduced from the fossil record of jawless vertebrates, with new discoveries suggesting that the separation of the nasal sacs in jawless vertebrat...

Living amphibians include caecilians, salamanders, and frogs. They share many features like a biphasic lifestyle with aquatic larvae and terrestrial adults, cranial skeletal elements that are derived from neural crest cells and mesoderm, and muscles derived from branchiomeric mesoderm and somites. Meckel’s cartilage, which forms the larval lower ja...

Evolution and Development of Fishes - edited by Zerina Johanson January 2019

The triceps brachii muscle is the only muscle in the posterior compartment of the arm comprising three heads. The long head originates from the infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula, the lateral head mostly from the dorsal/posterior surface of the humerus proximal to the radial groove, and the medial head mostly from the dorsal/posterior surface of...

A core tenet of the American Association of Anatomists's (AAA) mission is to strive for equality, with a continuous effort on supporting the professional development of underrepresented minorities (URMs). We believe that by fostering new and existing communication channels we can enhance the self‐confidence of young URM students and inspire them to...

The cardiopharyngeal field (CPF) is a mesodermal field that gives rise to the first (FHF) and second heart field (SHF)-derived myocardium and the branchiomeric musculature. Isl1 and Nkx2.5 are transcription factors expressed in the CPF. Both genes are crucial for the specification of the myocardial cells derived from the SHF and for the further dev...

The evolution of both the head and heart are fascinating subjects to explore. Usually, researcher focus on either heart or head and study their development, anatomy, and/or evolution across vertebrates or at smaller taxonomic scales (genera or species). However, the development and evolution of head and heart are tightly linked. The most recent exa...

The cardiopharyngeal field (CPF) is a mesodermal field that gives rise to the first (FHF) and second heart field (SHF)‐derived myocardium and the branchiomeric musculature. Isl1 and Nkx2.5 are transcription factors expressed in the CPF. Both genes are crucial for the specification of the myocardial cells derived from the SHF and for the further dev...

Most studies of birth defects in humans tend to focus on external features or hard tissues. Therefore, there are few descriptions of the anomalies of the musculoskeletal system and particularly there is a lack of detailed comparisons of anomalies between individuals with diierent syndromes and with other species. Such comparisons are key to shed li...

There has been, until now, a limited knowledge on the development of the human muscular system, as most textbooks and atlases on human development described in detail the development of the skeletal system and other structures such as the internal organs without mentioning-or doing it in a very brief way-the muscular system. Moreover, within the fe...

Chordates comprise lampreys, hagfishes, jawed fishes, and tetrapods, plus a variety of more unfamiliar and crucially important non-vertebrate animal lineages, such as lancelets and sea squirts. This will be the first book to synthesize, summarize, and provide high-quality illustrations to show what is known of the configuration, development, homolo...

Chordates comprise all vertebrates plus a variety of unfamilar, distantly related and crucially important lineages (sea squirts, acorn worms, others). This book will be the first volume to synthesize and summarize what is known of the organization, development, homology and evolution of the muscles of all chordate animals. Muscles as different as t...

Background: Trisomy-18 is the second most prevalent autosomal aneuploidy after trisomy-21. Trisomy-18 individuals present with major multisystem alternations including craniofacial and musculoskeletal anomalies. The study of trisomic cases provides us with magnified clues to the complex history of individual muscles during development and also allo...

The triceps brachii muscle occupies the posterior compartment of the arm in humans and has three heads. The lateral and medial heads originate from the humerus and the long head arises from the infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula. All heads form a common tendon that inserts onto the olecranon and the deep antebrachial fascia on each side of it. Ea...

Lungfishes are the extant sister group of tetrapods. As such, they are important for the study of evolutionary processes involved in the water to land transition of vertebrates. The evolution of a true neck, that is, the complete separation of the pectoral girdle from the cranium, is one of the most intriguing morphological transitions known among...

Cruveilhier described in 1834 the human flexor pollicis brevis (FPB), a muscle of the thenar compartment, as having a superficial and a deep head, respectively, inserted onto the radial and ulnar sesamoids of the thumb. Since then, Cruveilhier’s deep head has been controversially discussed. Often this deep head is confused with Henle’s “interosseou...

Palmar view of left hand (#745). A large head of Cruveilhier with two slips inserts only onto the radial proximal phalanx. Almost all thumb muscles have several slips in this hand (see also S3 Fig). Blue scale = 1 cm. (TIF)

Palmar view of left hand (#737). A single large head of Cruveilhier inserts onto the ulnar side of the proximal phalanx I. Blue scale = 1 cm. (TIF)

Palmar view of left hand (#745) indicating slips of almost all thumb muscles. The numerous slips of the thenar muscles are structures selection can act on. Blue scale = 1 cm. (TIF)

Raw data collection of the 80 hands studied. The origins and insertions of the heads of the flexor pollicis brevis (FPB) are detailed here. The presence of the muscle of Henle is indicated (Henle). Often the deep head of Cruveilhier has two heads. The split is usually proximal (i.e., close to the origin), but in few cases it was distal. The yellow...

ABSTRACT: Nkx2.5, a homeodomain protein, is important for the proper differentiation of cardiogenic mesoderm from the cardiopharyngeal field into the functional heart musculature. Furthermore, Nkx2.5 has been shown to interact with transcription factors such as GATA4 to regulate cardiomyocyte development. Due to this involvement, mutations in Nkx2....

Connections between major arteries and nerves may ensure blood supply and/or innervation to specific muscles of the hand. Muscles with dual blood supply or innervation may be functionally and evolutionary important, such as the muscles of the thumb. Analyzing variations in anastomoses of blood vessels and communications of nerves might provide new...

Human syndromes are often complex and not easily explained by a single gene mutation. Syndromes have a mix of symptoms that result from a failure in complex developmental networks. An in-depth analysis of the development of the head and heart tissues has recently shown that the musculature, which constitute these distinct systems arise from a commo...

Background The origin of jawed vertebrates was marked by profound reconfigurations of the skeleton and muscles of the head and by the acquisition of two sets of paired appendages. Extant cartilaginous fish retained numerous plesiomorphic characters of jawed vertebrates, which include several aspects of their musculature. Therefore, myogenic studies...

The triceps brachii muscle is the only muscle in the posterior compartment of the arm comprising three heads. The long head originates from the infraglenoid tubercle of the scapula, the lateral head mostly from the dorsal/posterior surface of the humerus proximal to the radial groove, and the medial head mostly from the dorsal/posterior surface of...

Medical Education Across Borders – Are You GAAAME? A core tenet of the American Association of Anatomists’s (AAA) mission is to strive for equality, with a continuous effort on supporting the professional development of underrepresented minorities (URM). We believe that by fostering new and existing communication channels we can enhance the self-co...

Despite the fact that the human thumb has been investigated intensely with reference to its functional morphology, controversies remain; for example, regarding the muscle of Cruveilhier (deep head of the flexor pollicis brevis). Originally described in 1749, the human flexor pollicis brevis (FPB) only received special attention since Cruveilhier de...

Few descriptions of the musculoskeletal system of humans with anencephaly or spina bifida exist in the literature. Even less is published about individuals in which both phenomena occur together, i.e. about craniorachischisis. Here we provide a detailed report on the musculoskeletal structures of a fetus with craniorachischisis, as well as comparis...

From the Desk of the Committee for Early-Career Anatomists Teaching Anatomy using Evolutionary Reasoning in a Religious Environment By Janine M. Ziermann, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Howard University College of Medicine

It is usually assumed that Galen is one of the fathers of anatomy and that between the Corpus Galenicum and the Renaissance there was no major advance in anatomical knowledge. However, it is also consensually accepted that Muslim scholars had the intellectual leadership from the 8th/9th to 13th centuries, and that they made remarkable progresses in...

Textbooks on the history of biology and evolutionary thought do not mention the evolutionary ideas of Muslim scholars before Darwin's time. This is part of a trend in the West to minimise the contributions of non-Western scientists to biology, human anatomy and evolutionary biology. Therefore, this paper focuses on the contributions of pre-Darwinia...

Major challenges in vertebrate morphology, muscle evolution and evolutionary change via heterochrony Janine M. Ziermann; Rui Diogo Howard University College of Medicine, 520 W St NW, Washington, DC, 20059 Evolutionary developmental biology (Evo-Devo) aims to unravel changes in development or developmental mechanism that led to evolutionary change....

From the Desk of the Advisory Committee for Young Anatomists (ACYA): Engaged learning strategies