Hemichordates hold a key position in the animal tree of life that makes them a useful organism for genetic studies that compare the evolutionary mechanisms behind different metazoan life strategies. Gene expression analysis in developing hemichordates suggests that the last common ancestor (LCA) of deuterostomes might be more similar to the LCA of bilaterians than previously thought.
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References
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This is a summary of: Pérez-Posada, A. et al. Hemichordate cis-regulatory genomics and the gene expression dynamics of deuterostomes. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02562-x (2024).
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Gene expression in developing hemichordates gives insights into deuterostome evolution. Nat Ecol Evol 8, 2161–2162 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02563-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02563-w
