Neural crest origin of sympathetic neurons at the dawn of vertebrates. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38632395/)

These scientists studied a group of cells called the neural crest in a type of fish called a sea lamprey. The neural crest is like a special group of cells that are important for the development of different body parts in animals with backbones, like us.

Normally, it was believed that only animals with jaws (like us) had a certain type of nerve cells called trunk sympathetic neurons. But these scientists found that sea lampreys, which do not have jaws, actually have these nerve cells too. They discovered that these nerve cells in sea lampreys are similar to the ones found in animals with jaws.

The scientists used a special technique to trace the development of these nerve cells in the sea lamprey and found that they come from a specific group of cells near the fish's main blood vessel. They also looked at the genes and proteins that these nerve cells have, and found that they are similar to those found in animals with jaws.

This discovery challenges what scientists used to think about how these nerve cells evolved in animals. It suggests that even the earliest vertebrates, like the sea lamprey, may have had a basic form of these nerve cells, even before animals with jaws evolved.

Edens BM., Stundl J., Urrutia HA., Bronner ME. Neural crest origin of sympathetic neurons at the dawn of vertebrates. Nature. 2024 May;629(8010):121-126. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07297-0. Epub 2024 Apr 17.