Dataset Information

Evolutionary conservation of the eumetazoan gene regulatory landscape

ABSTRACT: Bilaterian animals differ from other metazoans in their apparent bilateral symmetry and the development of a third germ layer. Both might have facilitated the evolution of the diverse and complex bilaterian body plans. The first cnidarian genome sequence revealed that despite their morphological simplicity, this sister group to all bilaterians shares an immense genomic complexity with vertebrates. This suggested that it might have been the complexity of gene regulation which increased during the evolution of bilaterians. We compared the gene regulatory landscape of cnidarians and bilaterians. To this end we generated the first genome-wide prediction of gene regulatory elements and profiled five epigenetic marks in a non-bilaterian animal, the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. We found that the location of chromatin modifications relative to genes and distal enhancers is conserved among eumetazoans. Surprisingly, the genomic landscape of gene regulatory elements is highly similar between Nematostella and bilaterian model organisms. This suggests that complex regulation of developmental gene expression evolved in eumetazoans without a major increase in complexity in bilaterians.

ORGANISM(S): Nematostella vectensis

PROVIDER: GSE46488 | GEO | 2013/12/02

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA200689

REPOSITORIES: GEO

ACCESS DATA

Dataset's files

Source:

			Action	DRS
		Other

Items per page:

1 - 1 of 1

Similar Datasets

Project description:We utilized the Nematostella vectensis to quantify gene expression differences and loss during light:dark cycling and immediately after light cue removal through comparisons of 136 transcriptomes Organismal responses to light:dark cycles can result from two general processes: (i) direct response to light or (ii) a free-running rhythm (i.e., a circadian clock). Previous research in cnidarians has shown that candidate circadian clock genes have rhythmic expression in the presence of diel lighting, but these oscillations appear to be lost quickly after removal of the light cue. Here, we measure whole-organism gene expression changes in 136 transcriptomes of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, entrained to a light:dark environment and immediately following light cue removal to distinguish two broadly defined responses in cnidarians: light entrainment and circadian regulation. Direct light exposure resulted in significant differences in expression for hundreds of genes, including more than 200 genes with rhythmic, 24-hour periodicity. Removal of the lighting cue resulted in the loss of significant expression for 80% of these genes after one day, including most of the hypothesized cnidarian circadian genes. Further, 70% of these candidate genes were phase shifted. Most surprisingly, thousands of genes, some of which are involved in oxidative stress, DNA damage response, and chromatin modification, had significant differences in expression in the 24 hours following light removal, suggesting that loss of the entraining cue may induce a cellular stress response. Together, our findings suggest that a majority of genes with significant differences in expression for anemones cultured under diel lighting are largely driven by the primary photoresponse rather than a circadian clock when measured at the whole animal level. These results provide context for the evolution of cnidarian circadian biology and help to disassociate two commonly confounded factors driving oscillating phenotypes.

Dataset Information

Evolutionary conservation of the eumetazoan gene regulatory landscape

Dataset's files

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets