In S. arctica, cellularization generates a transient layer of polarized cells resembling animal epithelia. This clonal multicellular stage is associated with tightly regulated transcriptional activation of genes involved in cell adhesion, including integrins and catenins.

How cell polarity is established during cellularization? What is the role of cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion proteins during the development of S. arctica? What is the interplay between cell polarity, the cytoskeleton and cell adhesion during cellularization?

These are some of the few questions we are interested in.