The tuxedo sea urchin Mespilia globulus: A fast-developing and tractable model for genomic and developmental biology

Matar, O.; Maeland, M. E.; King, L.; Parey, E.; Birkett, G.; Santangelo, C.; Piovani, L.; Craggs, J. R. K.; Thompson, J. R.; Oulhen, N.; Wessel, G. M.; Marletaz, F.

doi:10.64898/2026.07.23.740292

bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.07.23.740292

The tuxedo sea urchin Mespilia globulus: A fast-developing and tractable model for genomic and developmental biology

Matar, O.·Maeland, M. E.·King, L.·Parey, E.·Birkett, G.·Santangelo, C.·Piovani, L.·Craggs, J. R. K.·Thompson, J. R.·Oulhen, N.·Wessel, G. M.·Marletaz, F.

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Abstract

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 Mespilia globulus, which has rapid access to late life stages in sea urchins. We describe how we cultured M. globulus in a landlocked marine facility, raised larvae under artificial conditions and closed their life cycle. We established the experimental tractability of M. globulus: 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 M. globulus with that of other camarodont echinoid models. We determined that M. globulus 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 M. globulus. Our findings highlight the accessibility of this new sea urchin model for studying the metamorphosis and adult biology of sea urchins.

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Matar, O., Maeland, M. E., King, L., Parey, E., Birkett, G., Santangelo, C., Piovani, L., Craggs, J. R. K., Thompson, J. R., Oulhen, N., Wessel, G. M., Marletaz, F.. 2026-07-26. The tuxedo sea urchin Mespilia globulus: A fast-developing and tractable model for genomic and developmental biology. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.23.740292

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