Spatially resolved single-cell atlas of ascidian endostyle provides insight into the origin of vertebrate pharyngeal organs.

In addition, the authors discovered a cluster of hair cell-like cells in zone 3, which has transcriptomic similarity with the hair cells of the vertebrate acoustico-lateralis system. These findings reshape the study's understanding of the pharynx of the basal chordate and provide insights into the evolutionary origin of multiplexed pharyngeal organs.

The study used Countstar Rigel S2 for cell-count and viability assessment in the study's cell samples during preparation for single-cell or single-nucleus analysis.