Giacomo Gattoni
@giacomogattoni.bsky.social
Postdoctoral researcher in the Tosches lab at Columbia Uni | PhD in the Benito-Gutiérrez lab at Cambridge Uni | #Embryo2022 | Interested in and enchanted by brain evolution 🧠
Congratulations Jan, amazing news!! 🥳
August 12, 2025 at 7:26 PM
Congratulations Jan, amazing news!! 🥳
That’s amazing Laurent, congratulations!! 🎉 🎉
June 28, 2025 at 1:24 AM
That’s amazing Laurent, congratulations!! 🎉 🎉
Thank you so much Claire!! and thank you for suggesting this, I have been wanting to get into Mastodon for a while now, this was the perfect opportunity 😄
April 26, 2025 at 3:28 PM
Thank you so much Claire!! and thank you for suggesting this, I have been wanting to get into Mastodon for a while now, this was the perfect opportunity 😄
Thank you so much!! 😄
April 25, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Thank you so much!! 😄
Thank you so much Bianca!! 😄
April 25, 2025 at 8:23 PM
Thank you so much Bianca!! 😄
And I can't deny that I was also very happy to put so many phylogenetic trees in this paper! 😂🌳
Thanks to @amphispacelab.bsky.social, @labonnelab.bsky.social, @camzoology.bsky.social and to the Whitten Programme for funding my PhD.
And thank you for reading! Let me know if you have questions! 😄
Thanks to @amphispacelab.bsky.social, @labonnelab.bsky.social, @camzoology.bsky.social and to the Whitten Programme for funding my PhD.
And thank you for reading! Let me know if you have questions! 😄
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
And I can't deny that I was also very happy to put so many phylogenetic trees in this paper! 😂🌳
Thanks to @amphispacelab.bsky.social, @labonnelab.bsky.social, @camzoology.bsky.social and to the Whitten Programme for funding my PhD.
And thank you for reading! Let me know if you have questions! 😄
Thanks to @amphispacelab.bsky.social, @labonnelab.bsky.social, @camzoology.bsky.social and to the Whitten Programme for funding my PhD.
And thank you for reading! Let me know if you have questions! 😄
I feel incredibly lucky as this started out as a panicked side-project in Covid times, and became such a wonderfully collaborative work, it made me feel so happy about being in science! 👨🔬 So, huge thanks to all the authors that helped putting together this evolutionary story! 🫶
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I feel incredibly lucky as this started out as a panicked side-project in Covid times, and became such a wonderfully collaborative work, it made me feel so happy about being in science! 👨🔬 So, huge thanks to all the authors that helped putting together this evolutionary story! 🫶
We further propose that the early duplication of FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b, along with their redundant functions, provided the ideal background for subfunctionalization, contributing to the fast evolutionary rate of FoxQ2 sequences observed in bilaterians. 🧬
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
We further propose that the early duplication of FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b, along with their redundant functions, provided the ideal background for subfunctionalization, contributing to the fast evolutionary rate of FoxQ2 sequences observed in bilaterians. 🧬
This work clarifies the complex evolutionary history of FoxQ2 genes, identifying two ancient paralogs (FoxQ2a+b and FoxQ2c) expressed in distinct embryonic domains, and a more recent duplication of FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b. We also find a richer repertoire of vertebrate Fox genes than previously thought.
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
This work clarifies the complex evolutionary history of FoxQ2 genes, identifying two ancient paralogs (FoxQ2a+b and FoxQ2c) expressed in distinct embryonic domains, and a more recent duplication of FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b. We also find a richer repertoire of vertebrate Fox genes than previously thought.
Finally, we compared FoxQ2 upstream region across 5 amphioxus species to detect conserved regulatory regions and predict transcription factor binding with developmental-timing and cell-type specificity, suggesting a similar FoxQ2a regulation in deuterostomes in line with functional conservation. 🧬
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Finally, we compared FoxQ2 upstream region across 5 amphioxus species to detect conserved regulatory regions and predict transcription factor binding with developmental-timing and cell-type specificity, suggesting a similar FoxQ2a regulation in deuterostomes in line with functional conservation. 🧬
We then studied the expression of these paralogs in a variety of chordates: FoxQ2a is found in the amphioxus anterior ectoderm and in retina photoreceptors of zebrafish and chick. 👁️ The real surprise was the mysterious FoxQ2c, which we found expressed in the endoderm of amphioxus, lamprey and skate!
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
We then studied the expression of these paralogs in a variety of chordates: FoxQ2a is found in the amphioxus anterior ectoderm and in retina photoreceptors of zebrafish and chick. 👁️ The real surprise was the mysterious FoxQ2c, which we found expressed in the endoderm of amphioxus, lamprey and skate!
Moreover, the analysis showed that, contrary to what previously thought, vertebrates possess two ancestral FoxQ2 genes. 🤩 Bony fishes have only FoxQ2a while lampreys, skates and sharks have FoxQ2c. 🦈 On the other hand, amphioxus is one of the few animals with all three paralogs!
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Moreover, the analysis showed that, contrary to what previously thought, vertebrates possess two ancestral FoxQ2 genes. 🤩 Bony fishes have only FoxQ2a while lampreys, skates and sharks have FoxQ2c. 🦈 On the other hand, amphioxus is one of the few animals with all three paralogs!
These revealed the presence of three ancient FoxQ2 genes! FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b were described previously, and we found a third branch called FoxQ2c. FoxQ2a+b and FoxQ2c types separated already near the root of the animal tree, while FoxQ2b duplicated from FoxQ2a in the cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor.
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
These revealed the presence of three ancient FoxQ2 genes! FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b were described previously, and we found a third branch called FoxQ2c. FoxQ2a+b and FoxQ2c types separated already near the root of the animal tree, while FoxQ2b duplicated from FoxQ2a in the cnidarian-bilaterian ancestor.
To answer these questions and explain the counterintuitive conserved expression of divergent genes, here we have performed #phylogenetic and #synteny analyses of FoxQ2 #genes from 21 animal phyla. 🧬
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
To answer these questions and explain the counterintuitive conserved expression of divergent genes, here we have performed #phylogenetic and #synteny analyses of FoxQ2 #genes from 21 animal phyla. 🧬
At the same time, previous analyses have suggested an unclear and convoluted evolutionary history of FoxQ2 genes, with multiple taxon-specific duplications and losses. Was there a single ancestral FoxQ2 gene? And if so, when and how did it duplicate during animal evolution? 🤔
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
At the same time, previous analyses have suggested an unclear and convoluted evolutionary history of FoxQ2 genes, with multiple taxon-specific duplications and losses. Was there a single ancestral FoxQ2 gene? And if so, when and how did it duplicate during animal evolution? 🤔
FoxQ2 genes were first discovered by studying #amphioxus, but they have since been found in at least 14 animal phyla. Different studies have shown their conserved anterior expression in the embryos of many animals, from jellyfish to flies, worms and sea urchins. 🪸🪱🪰⭐🐟
April 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
FoxQ2 genes were first discovered by studying #amphioxus, but they have since been found in at least 14 animal phyla. Different studies have shown their conserved anterior expression in the embryos of many animals, from jellyfish to flies, worms and sea urchins. 🪸🪱🪰⭐🐟
And I can't deny that I was also very happy to fill this paper with phylogenetic trees! 😂🌳
Thanks to @amphispacelab.bsky.social, @labonnelab.bsky.social, @camzoology.bsky.social and the Whitten Program for funding my PhD.
And thank you for reading! Let me know if you have any question 😄
Thanks to @amphispacelab.bsky.social, @labonnelab.bsky.social, @camzoology.bsky.social and the Whitten Program for funding my PhD.
And thank you for reading! Let me know if you have any question 😄
April 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
And I can't deny that I was also very happy to fill this paper with phylogenetic trees! 😂🌳
Thanks to @amphispacelab.bsky.social, @labonnelab.bsky.social, @camzoology.bsky.social and the Whitten Program for funding my PhD.
And thank you for reading! Let me know if you have any question 😄
Thanks to @amphispacelab.bsky.social, @labonnelab.bsky.social, @camzoology.bsky.social and the Whitten Program for funding my PhD.
And thank you for reading! Let me know if you have any question 😄
I feel incredibly lucky as this started out as a panicked side-project in Covid times, and became such a wonderfully collaborative work, it made me feel so happy about being in #science! 👨🔬 So, huge thanks to all the authors that helped putting together this evolutionary story! 🫶
April 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
I feel incredibly lucky as this started out as a panicked side-project in Covid times, and became such a wonderfully collaborative work, it made me feel so happy about being in #science! 👨🔬 So, huge thanks to all the authors that helped putting together this evolutionary story! 🫶
We further propose that the early duplication of FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b, along with their redundant functions, provided the ideal background for subfunctionalization, contributing to the fast evolutionary rate of FoxQ2 sequences observed in bilaterians.
April 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
We further propose that the early duplication of FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b, along with their redundant functions, provided the ideal background for subfunctionalization, contributing to the fast evolutionary rate of FoxQ2 sequences observed in bilaterians.
This work clarifies the complex evolutionary history of FoxQ2 genes, identifying two ancient paralogs (FoxQ2a+b and FoxQ2c) expressed in distinct embryonic domains, and a more recent duplication of FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b. We also find a richer repertoire of vertebrate Fox genes than previously thought 🧬
April 24, 2025 at 1:07 PM
This work clarifies the complex evolutionary history of FoxQ2 genes, identifying two ancient paralogs (FoxQ2a+b and FoxQ2c) expressed in distinct embryonic domains, and a more recent duplication of FoxQ2a and FoxQ2b. We also find a richer repertoire of vertebrate Fox genes than previously thought 🧬