Cellular basis of differential endochondral growth in Lake Malawi cichlids.
Savannah JohnsonBrian HeubelCarson BredesenThomas SchillingPierre Le PabicPublished in: Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists (2022)
Differential endochondral growth drives many aspects of craniofacial morphological diversity in cichlids. Cellular proliferation and enlargement, but not extracellular matrix deposition, underlie this differential growth and this appears conserved in Osteichthyes. Cell enlargement is observed in some but not all cichlid growth zones and the degree to which it occurs resembles slower growing mammalian growth plates.