Lingula anatina genome and transciptome

Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signalling is crucial in regulating dorsal-ventral patterning and cell fate determination during early development in bilaterians. Interactions between BMP ligands and and their main antagonist Chordin establish BMP gradients, subdivide embryos into distinct territories and organise body plans. However, the molecular control and evolutionary origin of dorsal-ventral patterning within spiralians, one of the three major bilaterian groups, have been obscured by their unique embryonic development. Here we present the chromosome-level genome of a spiralian with deuterostome-like development, the brachiopod Lingula anatina, and apply functional transcriptomics to study dorsal-ventral patterning under the control of BMP signalling.