Lineage-resolved analysis of embryonic gene expression evolution in C. elegans and C. briggsae
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: We measured the spatiotemporal divergence of gene expression across embryogenesis by collecting, annotating and comparing the transcriptomes of homologous embryonic cell types, using a dataset comprising >200,000 C. elegans cells and >175,000 C. briggsae cells. What constraints govern the evolution of gene expression patterns across development remains a fundamental question. Single-cell RNA-sequencing can learn these constraints by systematically profiling homologous cells. The conserved invariant embryonic lineage of C. elegans and C. briggsae makes them ideal for comparing cell type gene expression across evolution. Measuring the spatiotemporal divergence of gene expression across embryogenesis, we find a high level of similarity in gene expression programs between species despite tens of millions of years of evolutionary divergence. Nonetheless, thousands of genes show divergence in their cell-type specific expression patterns, with enrichment for functions in environmental response and behavior. Neuronal cell types show higher divergence than others such as the intestine and germline. This work identifies likely constraints on the evolution of developmental gene expression.
ORGANISM(S): Caenorhabditis briggsae Caenorhabditis elegans
PROVIDER: GSE292756 | GEO | 2025/03/26
REPOSITORIES: GEO
ACCESS DATA