Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 7, 2026

A Bioinformatics Pipeline for Investigating Molecular Evolution and Gene Expression using RNA-seq
Published on: May 28, 2021
Understanding Animal Evolution: The Added Value of Sponge Transcriptomics and Genomics: The disconnect between gene
Emmanuelle Renard1,2, Sally P Leys3, Gert Wörheide4,5,6
1Aix Marseille Univ., Univ Avignon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7263, Mediterranean Institute of Marine and Continental Biodiversity and Ecology (IMBE), Station Marine d'Endoume, Marseille, France.
Abstract:
Sponges are important but often-neglected organisms. The absence of classical animal traits (nerves, digestive tract, and muscles) makes sponges challenging for non-specialists to work with and has delayed getting high quality genomic data compared to other invertebrates. Yet analyses of sponge genomes and transcriptomes currently available have radically changed our understanding of animal evolution. Sponges are of prime evolutionary importance as one of the best candidates to form the sister group of all other animals, and genomic data are essential to understand the mechanisms that control animal evolution and diversity. Here we review the most significant outcomes of current genomic and transcriptomic analyses of sponges, and discuss limitations and future directions of sponge transcriptomic and genomic studies.
Related Concept Videos
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
Genome Size and the Evolution of New Genes
The Evidence for Evolution
Convergent Evolution
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?
In contrast, regions which code...
Gene Evolution - Fast or Slow?

