Transcriptome profiling of the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica reveals genome-wide events that accompany major life cycle transitions.

ABSTRACT:

Background

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, Amphimedon queenslandica, undergoes metamorphosis from a free-swimming larva into a sessile adult that bears no morphological resemblance to other animals. While the genome of A. queenslandica contains an extensive repertoire of genes very similar to that of complex bilaterians, it is as yet unclear how this is drawn upon to coordinate changing morphological features and ecological demands throughout the sponge life cycle.

Results

To identify genome-wide events that accompany the pelagobenthic transition in A. queenslandica, we compared global gene expression prof

SUBMITTER: Conaco C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3447736 | biostudies-literature | 2012 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature