About this Research Topic
The evolution of morphological novelties - i.e., anatomical structures unique to a taxonomic group - is generally associated with changes in developmental mechanisms. Tunicates, the closest relatives of vertebrates, have historically had a great conceptual impact on our understanding of the rules that guide a developmental program. A broad range of studies have addressed how developmental genes or molecular networks contributed to the evolutionary transition from invertebrates to vertebrates and to the morphological radiation of tunicates. In addition, tunicate species display several traits of evolutionary interest, e.g., solitary or colonial habitus, conservative anatomy, high genetic polymorphism, cryptic speciation, different developmental pathways (sexual and asexual development, whole body regeneration) to name a few. Therefore, they offer unique experimental models for exploring levels of evolutionary divergence in developmental programs behind alternate body plans and for obtaining insight regarding the embryological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate animal diversity.
The increasing amount of available tunicate genomes and expression data now make feasible efforts to distinguish between homologous, convergent or superficially similar gene networks. Recent evidence indicating that, in tunicates, there is great variability in the molecular genetics underlying specific characters of interest (or developmental programs), makes it fundamentally important to reveal which genes or gene modules determine functional and morphological homology. Moreover, the availability of sophisticated techniques of live imaging coupled with FACS sorting, cell transplantation, and transgenic cell labelling, make tunicates excellent models for the study of stem cells and their evolutionary traits.
This Research Topic intends to highlight recent progress in our understanding of the Evo-Devo of tunicates with attention to key studies that have probed the development of various cell/tissue/organ types in tunicates in the context of chordate evolution.
We aim to gather contributions from Evo-Devo researchers in the fields of solitary and colonial tunicates who are interested in various aspects, such as, for example:
- Whole body regeneration and other regenerative processes
- Evolution of stem cells, immune system and other systems
- Variation in genetic pathways between divergent tunicates despite the morphological similarities
- Comparison of different developmental pathways in the same organism (e.g., sexual and asexual)
- Environmental effects on developmental trajectories and their evolutionary implications
- Gene networks regulating phenotypes by integrating cellular, molecular, developmental, behavioral and morphogenetic processes with Omics approaches.
The increasing amount of available tunicate genomes and expression data now make feasible efforts to distinguish between homologous, convergent or superficially similar gene networks. Recent evidence indicating that, in tunicates, there is great variability in the molecular genetics underlying specific characters of interest (or developmental programs), makes it fundamentally important to reveal which genes or gene modules determine functional and morphological homology. Moreover, the availability of sophisticated techniques of live imaging coupled with FACS sorting, cell transplantation, and transgenic cell labelling, make tunicates excellent models for the study of stem cells and their evolutionary traits.
This Research Topic intends to highlight recent progress in our understanding of the Evo-Devo of tunicates with attention to key studies that have probed the development of various cell/tissue/organ types in tunicates in the context of chordate evolution.
We aim to gather contributions from Evo-Devo researchers in the fields of solitary and colonial tunicates who are interested in various aspects, such as, for example:
- Whole body regeneration and other regenerative processes
- Evolution of stem cells, immune system and other systems
- Variation in genetic pathways between divergent tunicates despite the morphological similarities
- Comparison of different developmental pathways in the same organism (e.g., sexual and asexual)
- Environmental effects on developmental trajectories and their evolutionary implications
- Gene networks regulating phenotypes by integrating cellular, molecular, developmental, behavioral and morphogenetic processes with Omics approaches.
Keywords: Tunicata, Evo-Devo, Chordata, Reproduction, Regeneration, Genomics, Gene Regulatory Networks, Stemness, Immunity
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