Non-visual photoreceptive brain specification in sea urchin larvae.

ABSTRACT: Centralized nervous systems enable animals to detect environmental cues and coordinate behavior, but their evolutionary origins in deuterostomes remain unclear. Among deuterostomes, echinoderms-such as sea urchins-have long been thought to lack brain-like structures, especially in larval stages. Although recent gene expression and neural activity studies suggest brain-like properties in sea urchin larvae, direct links to behavior are still emerging. Here, we identify a light-sensitive cluster of neurons in the posterior neuroectoderm of sea urchin larvae. These neurons express UV-sensitive Opsin5 and regulatory genes such as rx, otx, six3, and lhx6, which are conserved in the vertebrate diencephalon. We mapped this domain using single-cell RNA sequencing and in situ hybridization. Knockdow

SUBMITTER: Yaguchi J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12630818 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature