Excited to share our latest preprint, “Molecular and cellular architecture of the larval sensory organ in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis” https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.05.10.443235v1 !Together with @cajteeling @ElejaneMBO @Siffreya @CyanoEvo. # @thembauk @MbaCell

We characterised the cellular identity of the apical domain by integrating larval single-cell data with the apical transcriptome. We discovered that the apical domain comprises a minimum of 6 distinct cell types.

It turns out that previously uncharacterised larval-specific neurons were concentrated around apical tuft cells (like a crown!). Further, we revealed that the apical domain was enriched with unique sensory secretory cells distributed around the apical organ along with neurons.

By profiling the spatial expression of neuronal genes, we showed that the apical region has a unique neuronal signature distinct from the rest of the body. Finally, we disclosed the composition of the non-motile apical tuft by combining cilia proteome with apical transcriptome.