The 47th Annual Meeting of the Molecular Biology Society of Japan

Organizer: Yuichiro Nakajima (The University of Tokyo), Hiroshi Suga (Prefectural University of Hiroshima)

How did multicellular evolution occur and when was the nervous system acquired, and how did complex animal traits evolve? Comparative studies using unicellular organisms closely related to extant animals and basal metazoans (e.g. comb jellies and cnidarians) are an effective approach to understand the origin of multicellularity, nervous systems, and the evolution of development, regeneration, and symbiotic mechanisms. This symposium will present the latest studies of experimental evolutionary biology using basal models such as animal unicellular relatives and basal metazoans, which utilize omics analysis, genetic manipulation, and unique experimental systems.