endostyle
Quick Summary
The endostyle is a mucus-secreting structure found in the pharyngeal cavity of lower chordates, such as tunicates. Its primary function is to trap food particles from the water. In tunicates, the endostyle is considered the evolutionary precursor to the vertebrate thyroid gland. This gland plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism, growth, and development in vertebrates.123
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- amphioxus
The endostyle corresponds to the thyroid in vertebrates, since it seems to produce iodinated, tyrosine molecules, which may function as regulatory substances, much like hormones, in amphioxi.
Read MoreThe endostyle corresponds to the thyroid in vertebrates, since it seems to produce iodinated, tyrosine molecules, which may function as regulatory substances, much like hormones, in amphioxi.
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chordateDigestion and nutrition…of mucus, secreted by the endostyle (a glandular organ lying below the two rows of gill slits), filters suspended food particles from the water. Cilia lining the pharynx move the food-rich sheet of mucus upward over the gill slits, and it is then rolled up and transported to the posterior…
Read More…of mucus, secreted by the endostyle (a glandular organ lying below the two rows of gill slits), filters suspended food particles from the water. Cilia lining the pharynx move the food-rich sheet of mucus upward over the gill slits, and it is then rolled up and transported to the posterior…
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