Work

Antagonistic BMP–cWNT signaling in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis reveals insight into the evolution of mesoderm

Year: 2017

Type: article

Abstract: Significance Definitive mesoderm (e.g., muscle cells) evolved in the ancestor of the bilateria but is not present in their sister group, Cnidaria. Forward transcriptomics and gene knockdown in the anthozoan Nematostella vectensis show that both cWnt and BMP 2/4 signaling pathways reciprocally regulate components of the endomesodermal gene regulatory network (GRN) during development to set up distinct regional territories prior to the onset of gastrulation. Furthermore, the conserved “kernel” of the bilaterian heart mesoderm GRN is operational in the endomesoderm of the anthozoan N. vectensis . This GRN fails to have a “lockdown” feedback loop found in bilaterian GRNs that may help explain the highly regenerative potential of adult cnidarian endomesoderm, suggesting that the endoderm and mesoderm arose from the bifunctional endomesoderm.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1701607114

Authors: Naveen Wijesena, David K. Simmons, Mark Q. Martindale

Institution: University of Florida

Language: English

Topic: Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation

Subfield: Molecular Biology

Field: Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Awards: Gene regulatory network evolution and the origin of biological novelties, G312782212