Language
English
Publication Date
9-8-2026
Journal
Nature Communications
DOI
10.1038/s41467-026-77191-y
PMID
42711331
PMCID
PMC13554239
PubMedCentral® Posted Date
9-8-2026
PubMedCentral® Full Text Version
Post-print
Abstract
A major gap in our understanding of animal development is how adult body plans arise in animals with indirect development, where adults emerge from the transformation of a distinct larval form during metamorphosis. We address this question by examining cellular changes in the enteropneust hemichordate Schizocardium californicum, a species with a complex lifecycle and dramatic metamorphosis. Employing whole-body single-cell RNA sequencing, we chart the cellular composition and transcriptional dynamics of larval, metamorphic, and adult stages. Our tissue-level atlas reveals that ectodermal and endodermal cell types in larvae and adults occupy distinct transcriptional spaces, showing greater similarity to other cell types within the same life stage than to their counterparts in the opposite stage. In contrast, mesodermal cell types from both larvae and adults cluster closely together, indicating conserved transcriptional profiles. These findings demonstrate that the extensive morphological reorganization during metamorphosis is accompanied by broad shifts in transcriptional identity and reveal life-history stage as a major organizing axis of cellular state during the larva-to-adult transition.
Keywords
Animals, Larva, Metamorphosis, Biological, Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, Body Patterning, Chordata, Nonvertebrate, Ectoderm, Mesoderm, Single-Cell Analysis, Endoderm, Transcriptome, Evolutionary developmental biology, Gastrulation, Biological metamorphosis
Published Open-Access
yes
Recommended Citation
Bump, Paul; Brewster, Carolyn; Formery, Laurent; et al., "Distinct Cell States Define Larval and Adult Body Plans in a Hemichordate" (2026). Faculty, Staff and Students Publications. 8010.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/baylor_docs/8010