A5040423808- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Congenital heart defects research
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- MicroRNA in disease regulation
- Photoreceptor and optogenetics research
- Wnt/β-catenin signaling in development and cancer
- Retinal Development and Disorders
- Connexins and lens biology
- Chromosomal and Genetic Variations
- Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ
- Kruppel-like factors research
- Neurogenesis and neuroplasticity mechanisms
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Cell Adhesion Molecules Research
- Animal Genetics and Reproduction
- Zebrafish Biomedical Research Applications
- Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms
- Axon Guidance and Neuronal Signaling
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Nerve injury and regeneration
- Signaling Pathways in Disease
- Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor
Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Molecular Genetics
2013-2024
Institute of Molecular Genetics
2024
Czech Academy of Sciences
2008-2017
Vertebrates have greatly elaborated the basic chordate body plan and evolved highly distinctive genomes that been sculpted by two whole-genome duplications. Here we sequence genome of Mediterranean amphioxus (Branchiostoma lanceolatum) characterize DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility, histone modifications transcriptomes across multiple developmental stages adult tissues to investigate evolution regulation genome. Comparisons with vertebrates identify an intermediate stage in...
Animal eyes are morphologically diverse. Their assembly, however, always relies on the same basic principle, i.e., photoreceptors located in vicinity of dark shielding pigment. Cnidaria as likely sister group to Bilateria earliest branching phylum with a well developed visual system. Here, we show that camera-type cubozoan jellyfish, Tripedalia cystophora, use genetic building blocks typical vertebrate eyes, namely, ciliary phototransduction cascade and melanogenic pathway. Our findings...
Lens induction is a classical developmental model allowing investigation of cell specification, spatiotemporal control gene expression, as well how transcription factors are integrated into highly complex regulatory networks (GRNs). Pax6 represents key node in the network governing mammalian lens induction. Meis1 and Meis2 homeoproteins considered essential upstream regulators during morphogenesis based on their interaction with ectoderm enhancer (EE) located start site. Despite this...
Abstract Cardiovascular lineages develop together with kidney, smooth muscle, and limb connective tissue progenitors from the lateral plate mesoderm (LPM). How LPM initially emerges how its downstream fates are molecularly interconnected remain unknown. Here, we isolate a pan-LPM enhancer in zebrafish-specific draculin ( drl ) gene that provides specific reporter activity early gastrulation. In toto live imaging lineage tracing of -based reporters captures dynamic emergence as...
Abstract Animals sense light primarily by an opsin-based photopigment present in a photoreceptor cell. Cnidaria are arguably the most basal phylum containing well-developed visual system. The evolutionary history of opsins animal kingdom has not yet been resolved. Here, we study evolution genome-wide analysis cubozoan jellyfish Tripedalia cystophora , cnidarian possessing complex lens-containing eyes and minor photoreceptors. A large number opsin genes with distinct tissue- stage-specific...
Deciphering the mechanisms of axis formation in amphioxus is a key step to understanding evolution chordate body plan. The current view that Nodal signaling only factor promoting dorsal specification amphioxus, whereas Wnt/β-catenin plays no role this process. Here, we re-examined Wnt/βcatenin dorsal/ventral patterning embryo. We demonstrated spatial activity located presumptive cells from cleavage gastrula stage, and provided functional evidence necessary for cell fate stage-dependent...
Cephalochordates, the sister group of vertebrates + tunicates, are evolving particularly slowly. Therefore, genome comparisons between two congeners Branchiostoma revealed so many conserved noncoding elements (CNEs), that it was not clear how functional regulatory elements. To more effectively identify CNEs with potential functions, we compared sequences genomes most phylogenetically distant cephalochordate genera, Asymmetron and Branchiostoma, which diverged approximately 120–160 million...
Formation of a dorsoventral axis is key event in the early development most animal embryos. It well established that bone morphogenetic proteins (Bmps) and Wnts are mediators patterning vertebrates. In cephalochordate amphioxus, genes encoding Bmps transcription factors downstream Bmp signaling such as Vent expressed patterns reminiscent those their vertebrate orthologues. However, question whether conservation expression network constituents implies functional interactions, if so, how an...
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Cephalochordates, commonly called amphioxus or lancelets, are widely regarded as a useful proxy for the chordate ancestor. In recent decades, expression patterns of important developmental genes have been used extensively to infer homologies between cephalochordate and vertebrate embryos. Such comparisons provided insight into biology origin traits. Most data collected using whole-mount in situ hybridization that allows distributions specific transcripts be detected fixed Here, we describe...
Paired box transcription factors play important role in development and tissue morphogenesis. The number of Pax homologs varies among species studied so far, due to genome gene duplications that have affected PAX family a great extent. Based on sequence similarity functional domains, four classes been identified chordates, namely Pax1/9, Pax2/5/8, Pax3/7 Pax4/6. Numerous splicing events reported mainly for Pax2/5/8 Pax6 genes. Of significant interest are those lead proteins with presumed...
The evolution of the vertebrate eye remains so far unresolved. Amphioxus frontal pigment cells and photoreceptors were proposed to be homologous retinal pigmented epithelium, based on ultrastructural morphology gene expression analysis in B. floridae. Here, we present comparative molecular data using two additional amphioxus species, a closely related lanceolatum, most divergent A. lucayanum. Taking advantage unique set specific antibodies characterized putative interneurons investigated its...
Light detection in animals is predominantly based on the photopigment composed of a protein moiety, opsin, and chromophore retinal. Animal opsins originated very early metazoan evolution from within G-Protein Coupled Receptor (GPCR) gene superfamily diversified into several distinct branches prior to cnidarian-bilaterian split. The origin opsin diversity, classification interfamily relationships have been matter long-standing debate. Comparative studies various Metazoa provide key insight...
A cluster of three Specificity Protein (Sp) genes (Sp1-4, Sp5 and Sp6-9) is thought to be ancestral in both chordates the wider Eumetazoa. Sp6-9 gene groups are associated with embryonic growth zones, such as tailbuds, Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway members targets. Currently, there conflicting reports number identity Sp cephalochordates, sister group vertebrates urochordates. We confirm SP complement Branchiostoma belcheri lanceolatum, well their genomic arrangement, protein domain...
To shed light on the enigmatic origin of vertebrate head, our study employs an integrated approach that combines single-cell transcriptomics, perturbations in signalling pathways, and cis-regulatory analysis amphioxus, a close relative chordate common ancestor. Through cell type characterization, we identified presence prechordal plate, pre-migratory migratory neural crest-like populations developing amphioxus embryo. Functional established conserved roles Nodal Hedgehog pathways Wnt pathway...
Abstract The Pax6 gene is essential for eye and brain development across various animal species. Here, we investigate the function of in anterior central nervous system (CNS) invertebrate chordate amphioxus using CRISPR/Cas9-induced genome editing. Specifically, examined mutants featuring a 6bp deletion encompassing two invariant amino acids conserved paired domain, hypothesized to impair DNA-binding capacity regulatory functions. Although this mutation did not result gross morphological...
To shed light on the enigmatic origin of vertebrate head, our study employs an integrated approach that combines single-cell transcriptomics, perturbations in signaling pathways, and cis-regulatory analysis amphioxus. As a representative basal lineage within chordate phylum, amphioxus retains many characteristics thought to have been present common ancestor. Through cell type characterization, we identify presence prechordal plate-like, pre-migratory, migratory neural crest-like populations...