Shuimu Hu

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The evolution of asymmetric cell divisions in Spiralia through single-cell approaches.

Asymmetric cell divisions produce two distinct daughter cells and are crucial in multicellular animals, as they drive the formation of specialised cell types. Many marine invertebrates, like molluscs and annelids, employ a unique strategy to create cellular asymmetries: they form a cellular protrusion known as the "polar lobe," which is inherited by only one daughter cell, leading to a distinct developmental fate. Interestingly, this evolutionary innovation has independently arisen in multiple species, making it an ideal system for studying the origins of asymmetric divisions in evolution. In this project, I will investigate the developmental role of polar lobes. I will do this by examining time courses of single-cell transcriptomic data during the early development of molluscs and annelids, and ask three key questions: What are the genes that generate polar lobes? What molecules do polar lobes segregate to produce cellular asymmetries? How have these genes changed over evolution? Answering these questions will allow me to solve a fundamental biological phenomenon – how asymmetric cell divisions originate – at many different levels, from patterns of molecular evolution to gene expression and function. 

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