title: Gene regulatory networks in the early ascidian embryo.
abstract: Ascidians, or sea squirts, are tunicates that diverged from the vertebrate lineage early in the chordate evolution. The compact and simple organization of the ascidian genome makes this organism an ideal model system for analyzing gene regulatory networks in embryonic development. Embryos contain relatively few cells and gene activities by individual cells have been determined. Here we review and discuss advances in our understanding of the ascidian embryogenesis emerging from genomic expression studies and analyses at the single cell level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Satou
authors.forename: Nori
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Kaoru S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Imai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D014561:Urochordata / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*