Nicole King wants to understand the genetic and developmental foundations of animal origins. To do this, King and her team study the closest living relatives of animals, the unicellular choanoglagellates. They are particularly focused on understanding the biology of the choanoflagellate Salpingoeca rosetta, which can alternate between single and multi-celled morphologies in response to a signaling molecule produced by environmental bacteria. Genes shared by choanoflagellates and animals – including signaling and adhesion gene homologs – were likely present in their last common ancestor and may shed light on the transition to multicellularity.
Scientists have found a new species of choanoflagellate. This close relative of animals forms sheets of cells that “flip” inside-out in response to light, alternating between a cup-shaped feeding form and a ball-like swimming form. The organism could offer clues about animals’ early evolution.