Single-cell, clonal and spatial atlases of cranial placodes illuminate their specification and evolution
The vertebrate head is defined by complex sensory structures derived from cranial placodes. Placodes arise alongside the neural crest at the neural plate border, yet the mechanisms governing their identity, diversification, and evolutionary origins are unclear. We present an integrated single-cell, spatial, and clonal atlas of placode development to resolve the dynamics of their lineage segregation. Combining single-cell RNA-sequencing, spatial transcriptomics, and high-resolution clonal tracing, we show that placodal and neighboring progenitors form a continuous transcriptional landscape with gradual transitions between domains. Domain boundary cells co-express markers of adjacent territories, suggesting transient bipotent states. Consistent with this, clonal analysis reveals sharing of progenitors between neighboring placodes, supporting a model of competitive segregation. Comparisons with amphioxus suggests that vertebrate olfactory placodes emerged from an ancestral neuroectoderm that later partitioned into distinct neural and olfactory domains. Our findings provide a unified framework for understanding the developmental and evolutionary origins of vertebrate sensory organs.
Authors
- Lena M. Kutscher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1130-4582)
- Gerhard Schlosser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1300-1331)
- Kaj Fried (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9997-7078)
- Alexander Klimovich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1764-0613)
- Caleb C. Reagor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8304-1267)
- Emma Andersson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8608-625X)
- Iryna Kozmiková (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7861-9802)
- Alek G. Erickson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7110-9386)
- Andrew K. Groves (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0784-7998)
- Helen Maunsell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4466-0612)
- Polina Kameneva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5513-8221)
- Johan Boström (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5252-4023)
- Yuliia Fatieieva
- Sergey V. Isaev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0404-9261)
- Igor I. Adameyko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5471-0356)
- Bettina Semsch
- Andrea Streit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7664-7917)
- Ankita Thawani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4964-9789)
- Aliia Murtazina
- Franziska Schelb
- Karina Araslanova
- Zbynek Kozmik
- Felix Waern (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9628-4868)
Institutions
- Stockholm University (SE)
- Baylor College of Medicine (US)
- King's College London (GB)
- Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway (IE)
- Czech Academy of Sciences (CZ)
- Washington University in St. Louis (US)
- Heidelberg University (DE)
- Karolinska Institutet (SE)
- Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE)
- Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (DE)
- St Anna Children's Hospital (AT)
- Institute of Molecular Genetics (RU)
- Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Molecular Genetics (CZ)
- St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute
- Medical University of Vienna (AT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
- Published
- 2026-04-03
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.01.715621
- Primary Topic
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00