Induction of canonical Wnt signaling by alsterpaullone is sufficient for oral tissue fate during regeneration and embryogenesis in Nematostella vectensis.

Although regeneration is widespread among metazoa, the molecular mechanisms have been studied in only a handful of taxa. Of these taxa, fewer still are amenable to studies of embryogenesis. Our understanding of the evolution of regeneration, and its relation to embryogenesis, therefore remains limited.

Conserved and novel gene expression between regeneration and asexual fission in Nematostella vectensis.

Due to work in model systems (e.g., flies and mice), the molecular mechanisms of embryogenesis are known in exquisite detail.

Insights from diploblasts; the evolution of mesoderm and muscle.

The origin of both mesoderm and muscle are central questions in metazoan evolution. The majority of metazoan phyla are triploblasts, possessing three discrete germ layers. Attention has therefore been focused on two outgroups to triploblasts, Cnidaria and Ctenophora.

The cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor possessed at least 56 homeoboxes: evidence from the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis.

Background: Homeodomain transcription factors are key components in the developmental toolkits of animals. While this gene superclass predates the evolutionary split between animals, plants, and fungi, many homeobox genes appear unique to animals. The origin of particular homeobox genes may, therefore, be associated with the evolution of particular animal traits.

Rising starlet: the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis.

In recent years, a handful of model systems from the basal metazoan phylum Cnidaria have emerged to challenge long-held views on the evolution of animal complexity. The most-recent, and in many ways most-promising addition to this group is the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis. The remarkable amenability of this species to laboratory manipulation has already made it a productive system for exploring cnidarian development, and a proliferation of molecular and genomic tools, including the currently ongoing Nematostella genome project, further enhances the promise of this species.