The tolerance to hypoxia is defined by a time-sensitive response of the gene regulatory network in sea urchin embryos

ABSTRACT Deoxygenation, the reduction of oxygen level in oceans induced by global warming and anthropogenic disturbances, is a major threat to marine life. This change could be especially harmful embryos that use endogenous hypoxia redox gradients as morphogens during normal development. Here, we show tolerance hypoxic conditions changes between different developmental stages sea urchin embryo, possibly due structure gene regulatory networks (GRNs). We demonstrate development, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway restricts activity vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) two lateral domains this restriction controls proper skeletal patterning. Hypoxia applied early development strongly perturbs Nodal BMP pathways affect VEGF pathway, dorsal-ventral (DV) skeletogenic These are largely unaffected after DV-axis formation. propose makes embryo highly sensitive environmental but GRN provides higher at later stages.