Data from: Genetics of a de novo origin of undifferentiated multicellularity

The evolution of multicellularity was a major transition in evolution and
set the stage for unprecedented increases in complexity, especially in
land plants and animals. Here we explore the genetics underlying a de novo
origin of multicellularity in a microbial evolution experiment carried out
on the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We show that large-scale
changes in gene expression underlie the transition to a multicellular life
cycle. Among these, changes to genes involved in cell cycle and
reproductive processes were overrepresented, as were changes to C.
reinhardtii-specific and volvocine-specific genes. These results suggest
that the genetic basis for the experimental evolution of multicellularity
in C. reinhardtii has both lineage-specific and shared features, and that
the shared features have more in common with C. reinhardtii’s relatives
among the volvocine algae than with other multicellular green algae or
land plants.