The expression of 'bilaterian-mesodermal’ genes changes the epithelial properties of the endomesoderm during the embryogenesis of the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis.

The dependence of Nematostella germ cell specification on zygotic Hedgehog pathway activity supports the hypothesis that the eumetazoan common ancestor segregated its germline by inductive signals rather than maternal determinants.

Different developmental stages of a venomous animal (e.g. Nematostella vectensis) with a complex life cycle produce vastly different venoms that can serve in different antagonistic interactions with other species.

Cnidarian stinging cells use a specialized voltage-gated calcium channel to integrate distinct sensory signals and selectively trigger a predatory response.

Analysis of the endogenous function of deeply conserved neuropeptides in sea anemones sheds light on a primitive role of nervous systems in modulating developmental timing.

The 3Å structure and correlated functional analysis of the TRPM2 cation channel from Nematostella vectensis shed light on the molecular mechanisms of TRPM2 regulation by intra- and extracellular Ca²⁺, and of inactivation of human TRPM2.

The complex chromatin-based genomic regulatory system controlling developmental gene expression in complex bilaterians predates the evolution of morphological complexity and may have been a prerequisite for the evolution of the first simple multicellular animals.

Even though the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi develops polarized epithelial tissues, polarization is not mediated by the conserved mechanisms polarizing bilaterian and cnidarian epithelial cells.

Structure-based alignment of TRP channels enables comparison of structural changes, ion permeation pathways and ligand-binding sites and reveals over-representation of structures that represent non-conducting states.