Alberto Stolfi

This study identifies Lzts as a regulator of neuron number in Ciona by controlling cell-cycle timing through a conserved Lzts-Cdc25-Cdk1 circuit.

The paper uses CRISPR/Cas9 in Ciona robusta to study the developmental roles of candidate human disease gene orthologs, finding Pgm3 knockout causes significant larval tail elongation defects.

The paper validates CRISPR/Cas9 guide RNAs for eight neurodevelopmental genes in Ciona robusta, showing varying mutagenesis efficacy and improved correlation with RS3 scores.

The paper identifies NK4 as a transcription factor downstream of BMP signaling that patterns the papillae in Ciona embryos by restricting Foxg expression to three cell clusters.

The paper identifies key transcription factors and signaling molecules involved in motor neuron differentiation in Ciona larva, highlighting conserved regulatory mechanisms.

This study identifies protocadherin.e as essential for maintaining the structural integrity and separation of the oral placode in Ciona robusta through cell-cell adhesion.

The paper identifies a gene regulatory network downstream of Pax3/7 in tunicate Ciona robusta ddNs, showing distinct transcription factors regulate different developmental branches.

This study identifies cis-regulatory differences in the Mymk promoter that explain divergent muscle multinucleation patterns between vertebrates and tunicates.

The paper shows that the RNA switch for acetylcholine receptor clustering is conserved in Ciona robusta, with some structural differences in Nova and regulation by Ebf.

The paper uses CRISPR/Cas9 in Ciona robusta to identify genes involved in mechanosensory neuron development and metamorphosis, finding Vamp1/2/3 as crucial for papillae function.

The paper identifies regulatory factors required for specifying post-metamorphic branchiomeric neurons in tunicates and shows larval differentiation of adult neurons.

The paper identifies molecular markers for five cell types in Ciona larval papillae and investigates their roles in metamorphosis and adhesion.

The paper investigates the evolutionary origins of myoblast fusion mechanisms in chordates, identifying the emergence of Myomaker and Myomixer and their roles in muscle development across species.

The paper compares transcriptomes of two neuron subtypes in Ciona's Motor Ganglion to identify subtype-specific effector genes involved in morphogenesis and differentiation.

The paper identifies candidate genes regulated by Neurogenin in Ciona's bipolar tail neurons, suggesting conserved roles in neuronal migration and development.

The paper identifies a cis-regulatory change in the Ebf gene that causes reduced expression in motor neurons of immotile tunicate larvae, contributing to the loss of swimming ability.

The paper uses single-cell RNA-seq to profile the transcriptomes of Ciona larval brain cells and compares them to bulk RNA-seq data to identify cell-specific gene expression patterns.

The paper evaluates and designs efficient CRISPR/Cas9 guide RNAs for mutagenesis in Ciona, identifying sequence correlates of activity and introducing a cloning-free delivery method.