Andrew D Calcino

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present the draft genome sequence of Amphimedon queenslandica, a demosponge from the Great Barrier Reef, and show that it is remarkably similar to other animal genomes in content, structure and organization.

TL;DR: The inclusion of developmental transcriptome data has substantially improved the structure and composition of protein-coding gene models in Amphimedon queenslandica, providing a more accurate and comprehensive set of genes for functional and comparative studies.

TL;DR: It is proposed that these noncoding RNAs in the demosponge Amphimedon queenslandica are an ancient feature of the metazoan genome, consistent with lncRNAs regulating the development of animals, regardless of their level of morphological complexity.

TL;DR: The contribution of the non-coding portion of the genome to the evolution of animal gene regulation is focused on, specifically on recent insights from non-bilaterian metazoan lineages, and unicellular and colonial holozoan sister taxa.

TL;DR: It is provided evidence that a lophotrochozoan-specific aquaporin water channel, a vacuolar ATPase subunit and a sodium/hydrogen exchanger are involved in osmoregulation throughout early cleavage, during which time large intercellular fluid-filled ‘cleavage cavities’ repeatedly form, coalesce and collapse, expelling excess water to the exterior.