Origin of metazoans

Chairperson: Arnau Sebé-Pedrós

Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) - PRBB building, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain

Phone: +34 933160146

Email: arnau.sebe@crg.eu

Vice-chairperson: Lucas Leclère

Observatoire Océanologique de Banyuls, UMR7232 BIOM, Avenue Pierre Fabre, 66650 Banyuls-sur-Mer, France

Phone: +33 (0)4 30 19 24 38

Email: lucas.leclere@obs-banyuls.fr

All living animals, the metazoans, are derived from a single ancestral multicellular assemblage that formed in the earth’s oceans hundreds of millions of years ago. The origin and the early evolution of this unique metazoan ancestor remain among the most fascinating questions in biology. 

With a real sense of excitement, tangible hypotheses are now emerging concerning these pivotal events. This is due to recent progress in a number of quite distinct fields of research, resulting from the application of new technologies and approaches as outlined below. This highly interdisciplinary emerging international community has started to integrate insights from different domains and to build a new framework for understanding the origin of metazoans. 

Topic covered by the conference will include:

• Lessons from the fossil record. Presenting recent advances and discoveries in early animals fossils and how these inform our views on animal origins.
• Animal evolutionary relationships and molecular evolution. Information from molecular phylogeny and evolution will be presented in the context of animal origins.
• Evolution of genome regulation and the origin of animals. Advances in our understanding of how animal gene regulation and cellular specialization emerged.
• Evolutionary cell biology and experimental multicellularity. Insights from the emerging fields of comparative cell biology and experimental evolution to understand how the first animals could have evolved from a cellular perspective (constrains, cellular processes, etc.).
• Lessons from non-metazoan relatives. How the comparative study of close unicellular relatives of animals (choanoflagellates, filastereans and ichthyosporeans) is illuminating animal origins.
• Lessons from other multicellularities. Examples of alternative routes to the acquisition of multicellularity achieved in fungi, amoebozoans and diverse algal lineages.
• Lessons from non-bilaterians. Insights from early-branching model metazoan organisms covering all four non-bilaterian groups: ctenophores, sponges, placozoans and cnidarians.

Invited speakers

(provisional titles)

Session 1 - Lessons from the fossil record 

Jakob Vinther (Bristol University) 
A palaeontological solution to the controversial debate on ctenophore and placozoan origins

Andrew H Knoll (Harvard University) 
The Earth system context of early metazoan evolution

Session 2 - Animal evolutionary relationships and molecular evolution

Darrin Schultz (University of Vienna) 
Ancient genomes through a modern lens

Eric Bapteste (Sorbonne University) 
Origin of metazoans - principles of investigation from a phylosystemic and gene co-expression network perspective

Purificacion Lopez-Garcia (Université Paris-Saclay) 
Origin and early evolution of eukaryotes 

Session 3 - Evolution of genome regulation and the origin of animals

Alex de Mendoza (Queen Mary University of London) 
The evolutionary foundations of animal cell reprogramming

James Gahan (Galway University) 
Chromatin and gene regulation in the closest relatives of animals, the choanoflagellates

Arnau Sebe-Pedros (Centre for Genomic Regulation) 
Early metazoan cell type diversity, from gene expression to regulatory programs

Session 4 - Lessons from non-metazoan relatives

Thibaut Brunet (Institut Pasteur) 
The origin of animal cell architecture: insights from choanoflagellates

Nicole King (Berkeley University) 
In the field with choanoflagellates

Session 5 - Evolutionary cell biology and experimental multicellularity

Omaya Dudin (University of Geneva) 
Multicellular Developmental Diversity at the Root of Animals

Will Ratcliff (Georgia Institute of Technology) 
Exploring multicellularity via experimental evolution

Lillian Fritz-Laylin (University of Massachusetts) 
The evolution and functional specification of cytoskeletal networks 

Session 6 - Lessons from other multicellularities

Susana Coelho (Max Planck Institute for Biology Tubingen) 
Brown algal insights into the molecular bases of multicellular development

Pauline Schaap (University of Dundee) 
Evolution of developmental signalling and cell type specialization in Dictyostelid social amoebas

Session 7 - Lessons from non-bilaterians

Pawel Burkhardt (Sars Institute) 
Tracking the deep evolutionary origins of nervous systems

William Browne (University of Miami) 
Immune cell behaviors and gene expression in the ctenophore Mnemiopsis

Alexander Ereskovsky (Institute Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie) 
What sponges tell us about the early evolution of morphogenesis in Metazoa

André le Bivic (Institut de Biologie du Développement de Marseille) 
The evolution of epithelial cell-cell junctions from sponges to mammalian cells

Chiara Sinigaglia (Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer) 
Shared principles of patterning and morphogenesis from a regenerating jellyfish

Evelyn Houliston (Institut de la mer de Villefranche) 
What can the planula larva of the hydrozoan Clytia tell us about early animal evolution? 

Leslie Babonis (Cornell University) 
Drivers of cell type diversification

Lucas Leclère (Observatoire océanologique de Banyuls-sur-Mer) 
Tracing the origins of myofibrils in animals, insights from cnidarians

Deadline for application: March 4, 2025

Registration fee (including board and lodging)

550 € for PhD students 

770 € for other participants 

Application for registration 

The total number of participants is limited to 115 and all participants are expected to attend for the whole duration of the conference. Selection is made on the basis of the affinity of potential participants with the topics of the conference. Scientists and PhD Students interested in the meeting should deposit online before the deadline: link coming soon

• their curriculum vitae
• the proof of their student status
• the list of their main publications for the 3 last years
• the abstract of their presentation:

The abstract must respect the following template:

• First line: title
• Second line: list of authors
• Third line: author's addresses
• Fourth line: e-mail of the presenting author

Abstract should not exceed 600 words. No figures.

After the deadline, the organizers will select the participants. Except in some particular cases approved by the Chairperson, it is recommended that all selected participants present their work during the conference, either in poster form or by a brief in- session talk. The organizers choose the form in which the presentations are made. No payment will be sent with application. Information on how and when to pay will be mailed in due time to those selected.