{"database":"GEO","file_versions":[{"headers":{"Content-Type":["application/json"]},"body":{"files":{"Other":["ftp://ftp.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/series/GSE327nnn/GSE327901/"]},"type":"primary"},"statusCode":"OK","statusCodeValue":200}],"scores":null,"additional":{"omics_type":["Other"],"species":["Branchiostoma floridae"],"gds_type":["Other"],"full_dataset_link":["https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE327901"],"repository":["GEO"],"entry_type":["GSE"],"additional_accession":[]},"is_claimable":false,"name":"A 3D Amphioxus Brain Atlas Illuminates the Blueprint of the Ancestral Chordate Brain and Highlights Unique Vertebrate Innovations","description":"Comparative studies of vertebrate brains have elucidated the evolution of morphological diversity; yet, the fundamental chordate brain blueprint and the emergence of vertebrate-specific innovations remain elusive. To reconstruct the cellular and molecular origins of brain architecture in chordates, we combined single-nucleus RNA-seq with spatial transcriptomics to generate a three-dimensional cell atlas of the central nervous system (CNS) in the early-branching chordate amphioxus. This atlas reveals a tripartite anterior-posterior organization comprising a rostral retinal/hypothalamic region, a di-mesencephalic domain, and a caudal hindbrain/spinal cord. Challenging previous views, we identify cell clusters resembling the vertebrate zona limitans intrathalamica and midbrain-hindbrain boundary regions that demarcate major brain compartments. Conversely, the absence of telencephalic marker expression in the amphioxus rostral forebrain suggests that the telencephalon is a vertebrate innovation. Collectively, our findings establish a spatial transcriptomic framework for the amphioxus CNS, providing crucial insight into the evolutionary origins of vertebrate brain complexity.","dates":{"publication":"2026/05/07"},"accession":"GSE327901","cross_references":{"GSM":["GSM9668023"],"GPL":["36810"],"GSE":["327901"],"taxon":["Branchiostoma floridae"]}}