The secret of anemone eternal youth

The genetic fingerprints of the anemone Nematostella vectensis suggest that members of this evolutionarily very old animal phylum used the same genetic cascade to distinguish neuronal cell types, just like more complex organisms
.

Almost all animal organisms are made up of millions or even billions of cells that are combined in complex ways to form specific tissues and organs that are made up of many different cell types, such as various neurons or glandular cells
.

Single-cell fingerprints lead to a common ancestor

The research team, led by evolutionary developmental biologist Ulrich Technau, who is also the leader of the SinCeReSt research platform for stem cell regulation at the University of Vienna, has deciphered the diversity and evolution of all neural and glandular cell types in anemones and their developmental origins
.

Ancient genes are in constant use

There is a gene that plays a special role
in the development of these common ancestral cells.

Single-cell transcriptomics identifies conserved regulators of neuroglandular lineages