Jamie A. Havrilak

The paper uses single-cell RNA sequencing to show that distinct neuronal subtypes in cnidarians emerge at different developmental stages, revealing temporal patterning in neurogenesis.

The paper identifies conserved and lineage-specific gene regulatory programs involved in cnidocyte specification in Nematostella vectensis, revealing how novel transcription factors contribute to cnidocyte diversification.

The paper tracks neuronal subtype responses in Nematostella during growth, degrowth, and regeneration, finding that neuronal numbers scale with body size and regenerates show subtype-specific changes.

The paper systematically characterizes NvLWamide-like neurons in Nematostella, revealing stereotypy in nerve net development and consistent neural subtype patterns.