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Article
Open AccessAntioxidant enzymes that target hydrogen peroxide are conserved across the animal kingdom, from sponges to mammals
Oxygen is the sustenance of aerobic life and yet is highly toxic. In early life, antioxidants functioned solely to defend against toxic effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Later, as aerobic metabolisms e...
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Article
Open AccessSex-specific expression of pheromones and other signals in gravid starfish
Many echinoderms form seasonal aggregations prior to spawning. In some fecund species, a spawning event can lead to population outbreaks with detrimental ecosystem impacts. For instance, outbreaks of crown-of-...
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Article
Open AccessDistribution and diversity of ROS-generating enzymes across the animal kingdom, with a focus on sponges (Porifera)
Reactive derivatives of oxygen (reactive oxygen species; ROS) are essential in signalling networks of all aerobic life. Redox signalling, based on cascades of oxidation–reduction reactions, is an evolutionaril...
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Article
Open AccessRibosomal RNA-Depletion Provides an Efficient Method for Successful Dual RNA-Seq Expression Profiling of a Marine Sponge Holobiont
Investigations of host-symbiont interactions can benefit enormously from a complete and reliable holobiont gene expression profiling. The most efficient way to acquire holobiont transcriptomes is to perform RN...
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Protocol
Staining and Tracking Methods for Studying Sponge Cell Dynamics
To better understand the origin of animal cell types, body plans, and other morphological features, further biological knowledge and understanding are needed from non-bilaterian phyla, namely, Placozoa, Ctenop...
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Article
Author Correction: The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans
An Amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
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Article
Open AccessCo-expression of synaptic genes in the sponge Amphimedon queenslandica uncovers ancient neural submodules
The synapse is a complex cellular module crucial to the functioning of neurons. It evolved largely through the exaptation of pre-existing smaller submodules, each of which are comprised of ancient sets of prot...
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Article
Convergent evolution of a vertebrate-like methylome in a marine sponge
Vertebrates have highly methylated genomes at CpG positions, whereas invertebrates have sparsely methylated genomes. This increase in methylation content is considered a major regulatory innovation of vertebra...
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Article
Pluripotency and the origin of animal multicellularity
A widely held—but rarely tested—hypothesis for the origin of animals is that they evolved from a unicellular ancestor, with an apical cilium surrounded by a microvillar collar, that structurally resembled mode...
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Article
Open AccessThe first identification of complete Eph-ephrin signalling in ctenophores and sponges reveals a role for neofunctionalization in the emergence of signalling domains
Animals have a greater diversity of signalling pathways than their unicellular relatives, consistent with the evolution and expansion of these pathways occurring in parallel with the origin of animal multicell...
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Article
Seasonal changes in environmental nutrient availability and biomass composition in a coral reef sponge
Sponges are crucial ecosystem engineers in most marine habitats, playing a critical role in cycling elements between the water column and the sea floor. Despite this, it is unclear how the nutritional status o...
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Article
Open AccessThe crown-of-thorns starfish genome as a guide for biocontrol of this coral reef pest
Genome sequencing and proteomic analyses of the crown-of-thorns starfish identify species-specific secreted factors that are associated with aggregating starfish and might be useful for biocontrol strategies.
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Article
Open AccessAn ancient role for nitric oxide in regulating the animal pelagobenthic life cycle: evidence from a marine sponge
In many marine invertebrates, larval metamorphosis is induced by environmental cues that activate sensory receptors and signalling pathways. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous signalling molecule that regulates me...
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Article
The mid-developmental transition and the evolution of animal body plans
Embryos in a particular phylum of the animal kingdom tend to most resemble one another at a stage in the middle of embryogenesis known as the phylotypic period; a transcriptional analysis of embryogenesis from...
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Chapter
Porifera
Poriferans (sponges) are sessile aquatic (largely marine) animals that are found in almost all benthic habitats. There are an estimated 15,000 species living today, although many have not been described (revie...
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Article
Genomic insights into the marine sponge microbiome
Many marine sponges (phylum Porifera), the most ancient of the metazoan animals, contain dense and diverse microbial communities.
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Article
Open AccessTranscriptome profiling of the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica reveals genome-wide events that accompany major life cycle transitions
The biphasic life cycle with pelagic larva and benthic adult stages is widely observed in the animal kingdom, including the Porifera (sponges), which are the earliest branching metazoans. The demosponge, Amphimed...
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Article
Open AccessMarked changes in neuropeptide expression accompany broadcast spawnings in the gastropod Haliotis asinina
A huge diversity of marine species reproduce by synchronously spawning their gametes into the water column. Although this species-specific event typically occurs in a particular season, the precise time and da...
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Article
Open AccessVariation in rates of early development in Haliotis asinina generate competent larvae of different ages
Inter-specific comparisons of metazoan developmental mechanisms have provided a wealth of data concerning the evolution of body form and the generation of morphological novelty. Conversely, studies of intra-sp...
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Article
Open AccessA unique horizontal gene transfer event has provided the octocoral mitochondrial genome with an active mismatch repair gene that has potential for an unusual self-contained function
The mitochondrial genome of the Octocorallia has several characteristics atypical for metazoans, including a novel gene suggested to function in DNA repair. This mtMutS gene is favored for octocoral molecular sys...
