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Cnidarian hair cell development illuminates an ancient role for the class IV POU transcription factor in defining mechanoreceptor identity

Ethan Ozment, Arianna N. Tamvacakis, Jianhong Zhou, View ORCID ProfilePablo Yamild Rosiles-Loeza, View ORCID ProfileEsteban Elías Escobar-Hernandez, Selene L. Fernandez-Valverde, View ORCID ProfileNagayasu Nakanishi
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.12.464036
Ethan Ozment
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, 850 West Dickson St. Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701
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Arianna N. Tamvacakis
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, 850 West Dickson St. Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701
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Jianhong Zhou
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, 850 West Dickson St. Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701
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Pablo Yamild Rosiles-Loeza
2Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (Langebio), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Irapuato, México
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  • ORCID record for Pablo Yamild Rosiles-Loeza
Esteban Elías Escobar-Hernandez
2Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (Langebio), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Irapuato, México
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Selene L. Fernandez-Valverde
2Unidad de Genómica Avanzada (Langebio), Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Irapuato, México
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Nagayasu Nakanishi
1Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, 850 West Dickson St. Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701
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  • ORCID record for Nagayasu Nakanishi
  • For correspondence: nnakanis@uark.edu
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Abstract

Although specialized mechanosensory cells are found across animal phylogeny, early evolutionary histories of mechanoreceptor development remain enigmatic. Cnidaria (e.g. sea anemones and jellyfishes) is the sister group to well-studied Bilateria (e.g. flies and vertebrates), and has two mechanosensory cell types – a lineage-specific sensory-effector known as the cnidocyte, and a classical mechanosensory neuron referred to as the hair cell. While developmental genetics of cnidocytes is increasingly understood, genes essential for hair cell development are unknown. Here we show that the class IV POU homeodomain transcription factor (POU-IV) – an indispensable regulator of mechanosensory cell differentiation in Bilateria and cnidocyte differentiation in Cnidaria – controls hair cell development in the sea anemone cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. N. vectensis POU-IV is postmitotically expressed in tentacular hair cells, and is necessary for development of the apical mechanosensory apparatus, but not of neurites, in hair cells. Moreover, it binds to deeply conserved DNA recognition elements, and turns on a unique set of effector genes – including the transmembrane-receptor-encoding gene polycystin 1 – specifically in hair cells. Our results suggest that POU-IV directs differentiation of cnidarian hair cells and cnidocytes via distinct gene regulatory mechanisms, and support an evolutionarily ancient role for POU-IV in defining the mature state of mechanosensory neurons.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • etozment{at}uark.edu, ariannat{at}uark.edu, jxz011{at}uark.edu, pablo.rosiles{at}cinvestav.mx, esteban.escobar{at}cinvestav.mx, selene.fernandez{at}cinvestav.mx, nnakanis{at}uark.edu

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted October 14, 2021.
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Cnidarian hair cell development illuminates an ancient role for the class IV POU transcription factor in defining mechanoreceptor identity
Ethan Ozment, Arianna N. Tamvacakis, Jianhong Zhou, Pablo Yamild Rosiles-Loeza, Esteban Elías Escobar-Hernandez, Selene L. Fernandez-Valverde, Nagayasu Nakanishi
bioRxiv 2021.10.12.464036; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.12.464036
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Cnidarian hair cell development illuminates an ancient role for the class IV POU transcription factor in defining mechanoreceptor identity
Ethan Ozment, Arianna N. Tamvacakis, Jianhong Zhou, Pablo Yamild Rosiles-Loeza, Esteban Elías Escobar-Hernandez, Selene L. Fernandez-Valverde, Nagayasu Nakanishi
bioRxiv 2021.10.12.464036; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.10.12.464036

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