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Developmental Signalling and Emergence of Animal Multicellularity

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Evolutionary Transitions to Multicellular Life

Part of the book series: Advances in Marine Genomics ((AMGE,volume 2))

Abstract

Five major signalling pathways (Wnt, TGF-beta, Hedgehog, Notch and FGF) orchestrate short and long range cell-to-cell communication during development of cnidarians and bilaterians, and are often involved in homologous processes. Pre-metazoan ancestry of the pathways is evidenced by presence of some components in non-metazoans: Notch and proto-Hedgehog (Hedgling) pathways components are present in choanoflagellates, and some intracellular Wnt pathway components in slime molds. In contrast, long range signalling through diffusible ligands apparently coincided with emergence of animal multicellularity. Conservation of the signalling pathways in earlier branching animal lineages (sponges, ctenophores and placozoans) varies widely. Wnt and TGF-beta pathways display strongest conservation in all lineages. In sponges, the Wnt pathway appears to be involved in patterning of the body axis, as it is in cnidarians and bilaterians. On the other hand, the Hedgehog/Hedgling pathway has been repeatedly lost, as it is absent from ctenophores and placozoans. Thus, the developmental signalling toolkits of extant animal lineages have been shaped by loss and gain of entire pathways and their selected components.

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Acknowledgments

Research in my laboratory is funded by Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, 5008, Bergen, Norway

    Maja Adamska

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  1. Maja Adamska
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Correspondence to Maja Adamska .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (UPF-CSIC), Barcelona, Spain

    Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo

  2. Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada

    Aurora M. Nedelcu

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Adamska, M. (2015). Developmental Signalling and Emergence of Animal Multicellularity. In: Ruiz-Trillo, I., Nedelcu, A. (eds) Evolutionary Transitions to Multicellular Life. Advances in Marine Genomics, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9642-2_20

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