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Lophotrochozoan species exhibit wide morphological diversity; however, the molecular basis underlying this diversity remains unclear. Here, we explored the evolution of Notch pathway genes across 37 metazoan species via phylogenetic and molecular evolutionary studies with emphasis on the lophotrochozoans. We displayed the components of Notch pathway in metazoans and found that  Delta  and  Hes/Hey -related genes, as well as their functional domains, are duplicated in lophotrochozoans. Comparative transcriptomics analyses allow us to pinpoint sequence divergence of multigene families in the Notch signalling pathway. We identified the duplication mechanism of a mollusc-specific gene,  Delta2 , and found it displayed complementary expression throughout development. Furthermore, we found the functional diversification not only in expanded genes in the Notch pathway ( Delta  and  Hes/Hey -related genes), but also in evolutionary conservative genes ( Notch ,  Presenilin , and  Su(H) ). Together, this comprehensive study demonstrates conservation and divergence within the Notch pathway, reveals evolutionary relationships among metazoans, and provides evidence for the occurrence of developmental diversity in lophotrochozoans, as well as a basis for future gene function studies.

Comparative and evolutionary analyses reveal conservation and divergence of the notch pathway in lophotrochozoa