Molecular evidence for pre-chordate origins of ovarian cell types and neuroendocrine control of reproduction.

ABSTRACT: Sexual reproduction in animals requires the development of oocytes, or egg cells. This process, termed oogenesis, requires complex interactions amongst germline and somatic cell types in the ovary. How did these cell types and their signaling interactions evolve? Here we use the sea star Patiria miniata as a non-chordate deuterostome representative to define the ovarian cell type toolkit in echinoderms. Sea stars continuously produce millions of new oocytes throughout their lifespan, making them a practical system to understand the mechanisms that drive oogenesis from a biomedical and evolutionary perspective. We performed scRNA-seq combined with high-resolution 3D-imaging to reveal the ovarian cell types and their spatial organization. Our data support the presence of actively divi

SUBMITTER: Paganos P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11974710 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature