Nemertean and phoronid genomes reveal lophotrochozoan evolution and the origin of bilaterian heads

• Published in: Nature ecology & evolution Vol. 2; no. 1; pp. 141 - 151
• Main Authors: Luo, Yi-Jyun, Kanda, Miyuki, Koyanagi, Ryo, Hisata, Kanako, Akiyama, Tadashi, Sakamoto, Hirotaka, Sakamoto, Tatsuya, Satoh, Noriyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.01.2018; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/181/2474; 631/181/757; 631/208/212/748; Animals; Biological and Physical Anthropology; Biological Evolution; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Conserved sequence; Ecology; Evolution; Evolution, Molecular; Evolutionary Biology; Flatworms; Gene families; Genes; Genome; Genomes; Head - anatomy & histology; Innate immunity; Invertebrates; Invertebrates - anatomy & histology; Invertebrates - genetics; Leeches; Life Sciences; Nematodes; Nemertea; Paleontology; Phoronida; Phylogeny; Snails; Toxins; Vertebrates; Worms; Zoology

Nemerteans (ribbon worms) and phoronids (horseshoe worms) are closely related lophotrochozoans—a group of animals including leeches, snails and other invertebrates. Lophotrochozoans represent a superphylum that is crucial to our understanding of bilaterian evolution. However, given the inconsistency...