4.7 Article

Molecular and cellular architecture of the larval sensory organ in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis

Journal

DEVELOPMENT
Volume 149, Issue 16, Pages -

Publisher

COMPANY BIOLOGISTS LTD
DOI: 10.1242/dev.200833

Keywords

Apical organ; Neuron; Evolution; Cilia; Cnidaria; Nematostella vectensis

Funding

  1. Advanced Research and Innovation in the Environmental Sciences (ARIES) Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) PhD studentship - Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), UK
  2. Anne Warner endowed Fellowship through the Marine Biological Association, UK
  3. Austrian Science Fund (FWF) [P30404-B29]
  4. UK Research and Innovation
  5. Austrian Science Fund (FWF) [P30404] Funding Source: Austrian Science Fund (FWF)

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This study identifies a unique neuronal signature in the apical tissue of sea anemone, showing that it comprises a minimum of six distinct cell types. The apical organ is compartmentalized into apical tuft cells and larval-specific neurons, with a specific gene being responsible for the formation of the apical tuft domain. This comparison of the molecular anatomy of apical organs contributes to the understanding of the evolution of this crucial larval structure.
Cnidarians are the only non-bilaterian group to evolve ciliated larvae with an apical sensory organ, which is possibly homologous to the apical organs of bilaterian primary larvae. Here, we generated transcriptomes of the apical tissue in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis and showed that it has a unique neuronal signature. By integrating previously published larval single-cell data with our apical transcriptomes, we discovered that the apical domain comprises a minimum of six distinct cell types. We show that the apical organ is compartmentalised into apical tuft cells (spot) and larval-specific neurons (ring). Finally, we identify ISX-like (NVE14554), a PRD class homeobox gene specifically expressed in apical tuft cells, as an FGF signalling-dependent transcription factor responsible for the formation of the apical tuft domain via repression of the neural ring fate in apical cells. With this study, we contribute a comparison of the molecular anatomy of apical organs, which must be carried out across phyla to determine whether this crucial larval structure evolved once or multiple times.

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