Front Cover; Epigenetic Mechanisms of the Cambrian Explosion; Epigenetic Mechanismsof the Cambrian Explosion; Copyright; Contents; Introduction; Hypotheses on the causes of the Cambrian explosion; The rationale behind the explanation chosen in this work; References; Further reading; 1 -- Pre-ediacaran evolution; Emergence of animal multicellularity; Emergence of multicellularity; Choanoflagellates; Transition to multicellularity: new structure, new rules of game; Evolution of the control system; The choanocyte genome; Choanoflagellates as precursors of metazoan multicellularity
An "epigenetics first" hypothesis of emergence of multicellularityPlacozoans; Morphology; Reproduction; The genome; Behavior; The control system in placozoans; Evolution; References; Further reading; 2 -- Phanerozoic evolution-Ediacaran biota; Ediacaran fauna-the prelude to the Cambrian explosion; Fossil record; The end of Ediacaran biota; Sponges (Porifera); Fossil record; Morphology; Reproduction; Evolution; Development; The control system and behavior in sponges; Evolution of the neuron: the second informational revolution; Evolution of the synapse; Synaptic proteins in unicellulars
Synaptic proteins in nerveless metazoansEvolution of the action potential and voltage-gated ionic channels; On the path to differentiation of the neuron; Fossil record and evolution of the neuron; Cnidaria; Reproduction; Development; The genome; Phylogeny of cnidarians; Fossil record; Evolution; Regeneration; Triggers of Cambrian explosion: hypotheses; External triggers; Oxygen accumulation; The Snowball Earth; Change in sea salinity; Change in the carbon-phosphorus ratio; Ecological hypotheses; Advent of predation; Bioturbation; Extinction of Ediacaran biota; Internal triggers
Evolution of Hox genesThe advent of the developmental mechanisms of control; References; 3 -- Epigenetic requisites of the Cambrian explosion; Gene recruitment; Evolution of lens crystallin genes; Neural involvement in recruitment of gene regulatory networks for eye development; Neural involvement in recruitment of proteins for Bothrops snake venoms; Neural involvement in recruitment of sex pheromones in salamanders; Other cases of gene recruitment in metazoans; Neural induction of epigenetic marks; DNA methylation; Neural control of DNA demethylation; Evolution of DNA methylation
Histone modificationNeural regulation of histone modifications; Epigenetic control of expression patterns and function of microRNAs; Evolution of miRNAs; Neural activity regulates miRNA expression; miRNA regulation by neuropeptides; Stress affects miRNA expression patterns; Hormonal regulation of miRNAs; Alternative splicing; Neural regulation of alternative splicing; A neural mechanism of accelerated production of splicing isoforms; Evolution of splicing; Immune defense: epigenetics of arms race with invading microorganisms; Evolution of the innate immunity in invertebrates
