Cited by 253Marine Invertebrate Physiology and EcologyDevelopmental Biology and Gene RegulationGenomics and Phylogenetic Studies

Independent evolution of striated muscles in cnidarians and bilaterians

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Steinmetz, Patrick R. H., Kraus, Johanna E. M., Larroux, Claire, Hammel, Jörg U., Amon-Hassenzahl, Annette, Houliston, Evelyn, Wörheide, Gert, Nickel, Michael +2 more·2012·Nature

Abstract

Striated muscles are present in bilaterian animals (for example, vertebrates, insects and annelids) and some non-bilaterian eumetazoans (that is, cnidarians and ctenophores). The considerable ultrastructural similarity of striated muscles between these animal groups is thought to reflect a common evolutionary origin. Here we show that a muscle protein core set, including a type II myosin heavy chain (MyHC) motor protein characteristic of striated muscles in vertebrates, was already present in unicellular organisms before the origin of multicellular animals. Furthermore, 'striated muscle' and 'non-muscle' myhc orthologues are expressed differentially in two sponges, compatible with a functional diversification before the origin of true muscles and the subsequent use of striated muscle MyHC in fast-contracting smooth and striated muscle. Cnidarians and ctenophores possess striated muscle myhc orthologues but lack crucial components of bilaterian striated muscles, such as genes that code for titin and the troponin complex, suggesting the convergent evolution of striated muscles. Consistently, jellyfish orthologues of a shared set of bilaterian Z-disc proteins are not associated with striated muscles, but are instead expressed elsewhere or ubiquitously. The independent evolution of eumetazoan striated muscles through the addition of new proteins to a pre-existing, ancestral contractile apparatus may serve as a model for the evolution of complex animal cell types.

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Crossref · 10.1038/nature11180

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  • This interpretation is compatible with a recent report that striated musculature evolved independently in bilaterians, cnidarians, and in the ctenophore Euplokamis dunlapae.

    “This interpretation is compatible with a recent report that striated musculature evolved independently in bilaterians, cnidarians, and in the ctenophore Euplokamis dunlapae (49).”

    From The Genome of the Ctenophore <i>Mnemiopsis leidyi</i> and Its Implications for Cell Type Evolution (2013) · cites this paper as [49]

    The Results and discussion (page not specified) conclude that striated muscles in bilaterians and hydrozoan cnidarians very likely evolved convergently. For the ctenophore, the paper says only that this *may* apply to Euplokamis sp.; it does not identify the species as Euplokamis dunlapae or establish its independent origin. (LLM, conf=0.87)

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  • Striated muscles have evolved at least three times: after the split of the Euplokamis dunlapae lineage from other ctenophores, in select Cnidaria, and in bilaterians.

    “Striated muscles have evolved at least three times: after the split of the Euplokamis dunlapae lineage from other ctenophores, in select Cnidaria 32 , and in bilaterians 32 (Supplementary Fig. S25).”

    From Ctenophore relationships and their placement as the sister group to all other animals (2017) · cites this paper as [32]

    The Results and discussion conclude that striated muscles in Bilateria and Hydrozoa (a subset of Cnidaria) are “very likely” to have evolved convergently. This supports the two lineages marked with this citation, but the citing sentence states their independent evolution as certain rather than likely. (LLM, conf=0.82)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • These data indicate that muscles and, possibly, mesoderm evolved independently in Ctenophora to control the hydroskeleton, body shape and food capture.

    “These data indicate that muscles 21 and, possibly, mesoderm evolved independently in Ctenophora to control the hydroskeleton, body shape and food capture.”

    From The ctenophore genome and the evolutionary origins of neural systems (2014) · cites this paper as [21]

    The citation is attached to “muscles.” In Results and discussion (page unavailable), the paper says independent evolution may apply to the striated muscles of one ctenophore species, Euplokamis, but it does not establish independent evolution of ctenophore muscles generally. The sentence’s mesoderm and functional claims are not attached to this citation. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Early metazoan cells already possessed a complex machinery for cellular contractions and shape changes based on a dynamic actomyosin cytoskeleton.

    “On the effector side, early metazoan cells already possessed a complex machinery for cellular contractions and shape changes based on a dynamic actomyosin cytoskeleton.”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [3]Chapman DM Muscatine L Lenhoff HM Coelenterate Biology 1974 Academic Press New York, San Francisco, London

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Authors
Steinmetz, P. R. H., Kraus, J. E. M., Larroux, C., Hammel, J. U., Amon-Hassenzahl, A., Houliston, E., Wörheide, G., Nickel, M., Degnan, B. M., & Technau, U.
Affiliations
  • University of Vienna (AT)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena (DE)
  • Technische Universität Darmstadt (DE)
  • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
  • Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie (DE)
Corresponding author
Technau, Ulrich
Venue
Nature
Published
2012-06-27
Volume
487
Issue
7406
Pages
231-234
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W2005570641
Cited by
252
References
78
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 19 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 23 · 2015: 33 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 3
FWCI
16.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • HAL (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
Keywords
convergent evolution, Cnidaria, bilaterians, muscle proteins, sponges, ctenophores, jellyfish, Z-disc proteins, contractile apparatus, muscle ultrastructure, titin, troponin, functional diversification
MeSH terms
Animals, Cnidaria, Biological Evolution, Gene Expression Regulation, Phylogeny, Myosin Heavy Chains, Gene Duplication, Muscle, Striated

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