Jr‐Kai Yu

The paper traces the fate of tail bud cells in amphioxus, showing they generate neural tube, notochord, and somites, supporting the hypothesis that ancestral chordates had multipotent tail bud cells.

This study presents a chromosome-anchored genome assembly of Asymmetron lucayanum, revealing genome architecture and gene evolution in cephalochordates.

This study creates a 3D amphioxus brain atlas using single-nucleus RNA-seq and spatial transcriptomics, revealing ancestral brain organization and highlighting vertebrate innovations.

The paper identifies an ancient regulatory syntax, SFZE, associated with brachyury across non-chordate and chordate species, suggesting its role in notochord origin through co-option of conserved elements.

The paper identifies conserved transcriptional programs in adult bilaterian guts across species, revealing how embryonic AP patterning relates to adult gut organization.

This paper analyzes the evolutionary dynamics of FoxQ2 transcription factors across metazoans, identifying three ancient paralogs and revealing conserved and novel expression patterns in chordates.

This study uses single-cell transcriptomics to identify novel motor neuron subtypes in mice, revealing subtype diversity that increases in land animals and continues to evolve in humans.

This paper develops a universal developmental staging system for lancelets, applicable across species, using confocal microscopy and growth curve analysis.