Multicellular organisms rely on a complex interplay between diverse cell types, but how multicellularity evolved from unicellular ancestors has long been a debated research question. In this Review, the authors describe how comparative and functional genomics have provided valuable insights into the transition between unicellularity and multicellularity, including how various molecular networks have been adopted for multicellular life.
- Arnau Sebé-Pedrós
- Bernard M. Degnan
- Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
