Work

Developmental mechanism and evolutionary process of cephalopod suckers

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In contrast to animals possessing clear modularity such as vertebrates and arthropods, the evolution of novel structures in animals with indistinct body modules, like molluscs, remains poorly understood. Among molluscs, cephalopods have unique arms and suckers, which are particularly notable because they show clear modularity despite their derivation from a simple flat foot of the ancestral molluscs. However, their developmental mechanisms and evolutionary processes have yet to be revealed. Gene expression analyses of cephalopod arms and gastropod feet showed that well-known appendage patterning genes in animals with clear modularity were expressed in cephalopod arms and gastropod feet but not in suckers. Instead, genes such as Ets1 , typically involved in early embryonic processes like gastrulation in molluscs, were specifically expressed in suckers. These results suggest that cephalopod arms recruited developmental mechanisms similar to segmented appendages, whereas suckers represent a cephalopod-specific innovation formed through the co-option of genes contributing to early embryogenesis.

Source: iScience

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117761

Authors: Ryosuke Kimbara, Hisanori Kohtsuka, Kohei Oguchi, Daisuke Kurokawa, Toru Miura

Institutions: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Misaki Marine Biological Station, School of Science, The University of Tokyo, The University of Tokyo

Language: English

Topic: Cephalopods and Marine Biology

Subfield: Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,240

Funders: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science