Ascidians as model organisms for developmental studies

Our team has been created in spring 2012. We are interested in the cellular and molecular control of ascidian embryogenesis. Ascidians (or sea squirts) belong to the tunicates, and together with vertebrates and cephalochordates (amphioxus) constitute the chordates that share the same basic body plan characterized by a notochord and a dorsal hollow nerve cord. Given its morphological simplicity, its compact genome and powerful tools for molecular embryology and functional genomics, one ascidian species, Ciona intestinalis, has emerged as an attractive model system for reconstructing the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) controlling development.