{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"institution":[{"name":"bioRxiv"}],"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,29]],"date-time":"2026-07-29T11:04:51Z","timestamp":1785323091420,"version":"3.55.0"},"posted":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,26]]},"group-title":"Evolutionary Biology","reference-count":61,"publisher":"openRxiv","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,26]],"date-time":"2026-07-26T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1785024000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"accepted":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                <jats:p>\n                  Sea urchins are pivotal models in cellular and developmental biology, but their biphasic life cycle with an extended larval life limits the ability to study post-metamorphosis and adult characters. Here, we introduce a genomically-enabled model system, the tuxedo urchin\n                  <jats:italic>Mespilia globulus<\/jats:italic>\n                  , which has rapid access to late life stages in sea urchins. We describe how we cultured\n                  <jats:italic>M. globulus<\/jats:italic>\n                  in a landlocked marine facility, raised larvae under artificial conditions and closed their life cycle. We established the experimental tractability of\n                  <jats:italic>M. globulus<\/jats:italic>\n                  : we labelled transcripts by hybridization chain reaction (HCR), and knocked out pigmentation genes to produce albino larvae using CRISPR\/Cas9. We generated chromosome-scale genome assemblies for two individuals representing both sexes and two color morphs (red and blue), and compared the organisation of the 21 chromosomes of\n                  <jats:italic>M. globulus<\/jats:italic>\n                  with that of other camarodont echinoid models. We determined that\n                  <jats:italic>M. globulus<\/jats:italic>\n                  showed a conservative gene repertoire lacking the gene family expansions seen in other camarodont sea urchins. We annotated the complement of genes associated with pigmentation, immune and nervous systems and profiled their expressions in tissues and organs. Finally, we surveyed sex-related regions in genomes using genome assemblies and resequencing data, finding no evidence of heteromorphic sex chromosomes in\n                  <jats:italic>M. globulus<\/jats:italic>\n                  . Our findings highlight the accessibility of this new sea urchin model for studying the metamorphosis and adult biology of sea urchins.\n                <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.64898\/2026.07.23.740292","type":"posted-content","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,27]],"date-time":"2026-07-27T05:34:43Z","timestamp":1785130483000},"source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The tuxedo sea urchin\n                  <i>Mespilia globulus<\/i>\n                  : A fast-developing and tractable model for genomic and developmental biology"],"prefix":"10.64898","author":[{"given":"Omar","family":"Matar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Life\u2019s Origins & Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Marie Emilie","family":"Maeland","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Life\u2019s Origins & Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lucas","family":"King","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Life\u2019s Origins & Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Elise","family":"Parey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Life\u2019s Origins & Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Grace","family":"Birkett","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Life\u2019s Origins & Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Clara","family":"Santangelo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Life\u2019s Origins & Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Piovani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Life\u2019s Origins & Evolution, Department of Genetics, Evolution & Environment, University College London, WC1E 6BT, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3787-2203","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jamie","family":"Craggs","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Horniman Museum and Gardens, Forest Hill, London, SE23 3PQ, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jeffrey R.","family":"Thompson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biological 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