Hidden cell diversity in Placozoa: ultrastructural insights from Hoilungia hongkongensis.

ABSTRACT: From a morphological point of view, placozoans are among the most simple free-living animals. This enigmatic phylum is critical for our understanding of the evolution of animals and their cell types. Their millimeter-sized, disc-like bodies consist of only three cell layers that are shaped by roughly seven major cell types. Placozoans lack muscle cells and neurons but are able to move using their ciliated lower surface and take up food in a highly coordinated manner. Intriguingly, the genome of Trichoplax adhaerens, the founding member of the enigmatic phylum, has disclosed a surprising level of genetic complexity. Moreover, recent molecular and functional investigations have uncovered a much larger, so-far hidden cell-type diversity. Here, we have extended the microanatomical characteriza

SUBMITTER: Romanova DY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8523601 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature