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Developmental system drift in dorsoventral patterning is linked to transitions to autonomous development in Annelida
Allan M Carrillo-Baltodano1, Emmanuel Haillot2,3, Steffanie Mutiara Meha2,4,5
1School of Biological and Behavioural Studies, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
Nature Communications
|April 18, 2026
Summary
The Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) pathway
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Evolutionary developmental biology
- Animal embryogenesis
Background:
- The Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) pathway is crucial for patterning the dorsoventral axis in bilaterally symmetrical animals.
- Its ancestral role in Spiralia (molluscs, annelids) is unclear due to varied axial functions across species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ancestral role of the BMP pathway in Annelida development.
- To understand the evolution of dorsoventral patterning mechanisms in Spiralia.
- To explore the link between cleavage patterns and developmental system drift.
Main Methods:
- Comparative developmental analysis across four annelid species.
- Investigating the signaling hierarchy between ERK1/2 and BMP.
- Examining changes in dorsoventral patterning in species with secondary unequal cleavage.
Main Results:
- BMP is ancestrally downstream of ERK1/2 and promotes dorsoventral development in Annelida.
- This hierarchy is lost in annelids with secondary unequal cleavage, leading to altered BMP or Activin/Nodal roles.
- Divergence in patterning implies significant rewiring of downstream targets.
Conclusions:
- BMP's ancestral axial role in Spiralia is clarified.
- A link is suggested between unequal spiral cleavage and developmental system drift.
- This study sheds light on evolutionary plasticity in animal embryogenesis.
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