BRUNO VELLUTINIA whole-genome sequencing study on Mnemiopsis leidyi has moved comb jellies to the base of the animal family tree, ousting sponges from that position. M. leidyi was the first member of the Ctenophores lineage to have its genome fully sequenced.
“There’s been a lot of debate about early animal evolution,” Boston University biologist John Finnerty, who was not involved in the study, told The Scientist. “The major early animal lineages had all been represented by at least one species with a sequenced genome with the exception of the Ctenophores,” Finnerty said, “so this really was a key piece of missing evidence.”
Scientists from the National Human Genome Research Institute who sequenced and analyzed the M. leidyi genome unearthed comparative genetic evidence to suggest that the comb jelly was the most basal animal. The team examined M. leidyi along with genome sequences for 12 species from other animal phyla.
“Like any good genome that has been sequenced, the results of this study generate more questions than ...
