Objectives
- Understand the origin of animal multicellularity and development
- Study the genetic basis behind cellular morphologies in Ichthyosporea
Methods we are using
We compare gene expression data from different developmental stages, both within and between species. Recently we have developed a technique for single-cell transcriptomics of the non-model organism Sphaeroforma arctica. This is an adaptation of the SMART-Seq2 protocol and includes isolation and documentation of single cells and a separate lysis step optimized for the tough cell wall covering these cells. Currently we are implementing the UMI-based protocols for an absolute measure of gene expression, accounting for PCR-bias during library preparation.
Species we are studying
We study species from the most basal animal lineages (comb jellies and sponges) as well as the closest ancestors of animals, Choanozoa (figure 1). This is crucial to studies of animal origin and early evolution was well as for reconstruction of the animal ancestor.
Financing
This project is financed by the Norwegian Research Council (grants nr. 240284 and nr. 213707).
Cooperation
Tools and resources
Available cultures
Sphaeroforma sp.
Pirum gemmata
Abeoforma whisleri
More...