Search

BackgroundOpsins are the primary proteins responsible for light detection in animals. Cnidarians (jellyfish, sea anemones, corals) have diverse visual systems that have evolved in parallel with bilaterians (squid, flies, fish) for hundreds of millions of years. Medusozoans (e.g. jellyfish, hydroids) have evolved eyes multiple times, each time independently incorporating distinct opsin orthologs. Anthozoans (e.g. corals, sea anemones,) have diverse light-mediated behaviors and, despite being eyeless, exhibit more extensive opsin duplications than medusozoans. To better understand the evolution of photosensitivity in animals without eyes we increased anthozoan representation in the phylogeny of animal opsins and investigated the large but poorly characterized opsin family in the sea anemoneNematostella vectensis.ResultsWe analyzed genomic and transcriptomic data from 16 species of cnidarians to generate a large opsin phylogeny (708 sequences) with the largest sampling of anthozoan sequences to date. We identified 29 opsins fromN. vectensis(NvOpsins) with high confidence, using transcriptomic and genomic datasets. We found that lineage-specific opsin duplications are common across Cnidaria, with anthozoan lineages exhibiting among the highest numbers of opsins in animals. To establish putative photosensory function ofNvOpsins, we identified canonically conserved protein domains and amino acid sequences essential for opsin function in other animal species. We show high sequence diversity amongNvOpsinsat sites important for photoreception and transduction, suggesting potentially diverse functions. We further examined the spatiotemporal expression ofNvOpsinsand found both dynamic expression of opsins during embryonic development and sexually dimorphic opsin expression in adults.ConclusionsThese data show that lineage-specific duplication and divergence has led to expansive diversity of opsins in eyeless cnidarians, suggesting opsins from these animals may exhibit novel biochemical functions. The variable expression patterns of opsins inN. vectensissuggest opsin gene duplications allowed for a radiation of unique sensory cell types with tissue-and stage-specific functions. This diffuse network of distinct sensory cell types could be an adaptive solution for varied sensory tasks experienced in distinct life history stages in Anthozoans.

In many tissues, cell type varies over single-cell length-scales, creating detailed heterogeneities fundamental to physiological function. To gain understanding of the relationship between tissue function and detailed structure, and eventually to engineer structurally and physiologically accurate tissues, we need the ability to assemble 3D cellular structures having the level of detail found in living tissue. Here we introduce a method of 3D cell assembly having a level of precision finer than the single-cell scale. With this method we create detailed cellular patterns, demonstrating that cell type can be varied over the single-cell scale and showing function after their assembly.

Innexins facilitate cell-cell communication by forming gap junctions or non-junctional hemichannels, which play important roles in metabolic, chemical, ionic, and electrical coupling. The lack of knowledge regarding the evolution and role of these channels in ctenophores (comb jellies), the likely sister group to the rest of animals, represents a substantial gap in our understanding of the evolution of intercellular communication in animals. Here we identify and phylogenetically characterize the complete set of innexins of four ctenophores:Mnemiopsis leidyi, Hormiphora californensis, Pleurobrachia bachei, andBeroe ovata. Our phylogenetic analyses suggest that ctenophore innexins diversified independently from those of other animals and were established early in the emergence of ctenophores. We identified a four-innexin genomic cluster, which was present in the last common ancestor of these four species and has been largely maintained in these lineages. Evidence from correlated spatial and temporal gene expression of theM. leidyiinnexin cluster suggest that this cluster has been maintained due to constraints related to gene regulation. We describe basic electrophysiological properties of putative ctenophore hemichannels from muscle cells using intracellular recording techniques, showing substantial overlap with the properties of bilaterian innexin channels. Together, our results suggest that the last common ancestor of animals had gap junctional channels also capable of forming functional innexin hemichannels, and that innexin genes have independently evolved in major lineages throughout Metazoa.

Hox and ParaHox transcription factors are important for specifying cell fates along the primary body axes during the development of most animals. Within Cnidaria, much of the research on Hox/ParaHox genes has focused on Anthozoa (anemones and corals) and Hydrozoa (hydroids) and has concentrated on the evolution and function of cnidarian Hox genes in relation to their bilaterian counterparts. Here we analyze together the full complement of Hox and ParaHox genes from species representing all four medusozoan classes (Staurozoa, Cubozoa, Hydrozoa, and Scyphozoa) and both anthozoan classes (Octocorallia and Hexacorallia). Our results show that Hox genes involved in patterning the directive axes of anthozoan polyps are absent in the stem leading to Medusozoa. For the first time, we show spatial and temporal expression patterns of Hox and ParaHox genes in the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana (Scyphozoa), which are consistent with diversification of medusozoan Hox genes both from anthozoans and within medusozoa. Despite unprecedented taxon sampling, our phylogenetic analyses, like previous studies, are characterized by a lack of clear homology between most cnidarian and bilaterian Hox and Hox-related genes. Unlike previous studies, we propose the hypothesis that the cnidarian–bilaterian ancestor possessed a remarkably large Hox complement and that extensive loss of Hox genes was experienced by both cnidarian and bilaterian lineages.

Microbes can initiate developmental gene regulatory cascades in animals. The molecular mechanisms underlying microbe-induced animal development and the evolutionary steps to integrate microbial signals into regulatory programs remain poorly understood. In the upside-down jellyfishCassiopea xamachana, a dinoflagellate endosymbiont initiates the life stage transition from the sessile polyp to the sexual medusa. We found that metabolic products derived from symbiont carotenoids may be important to initiateC. xamachanadevelopment, in addition to expression of conserved genes involved in medusa development of non-symbiotic jellyfish. We also revealed the transcription factor COUP is expressed during metamorphosis, potentially as a co-regulator of nuclear receptor RXR. These data suggest relatively few steps may be necessary to integrate symbiont signals into gene regulatory networks and cements the role of the symbiont as a key trigger for life history transition inC. xamachana.

Cellular strategies and regulation of their crystallization mechanisms are essential to the formation of biominerals, and harnessing these strategies will be important for the future creation of novel non-native biominerals that recapitulate the impressive properties biominerals possess. Harnessing these biosynthetic strategies requires an understanding of the interplay between insoluble organic matrices, mineral precursors, and soluble organic and inorganic additives. Our long-range goal is to use a sea anemone model system (Nematostella vectensis) to examine the role of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) found in native biomineral systems. Here, we study how ambient temperatures (25–37 °C) and seawater solution compositions (varying NaCl and Mg ratios) will affect the infiltration of organic matrices with calcium carbonate mineral precursors generated through a polymer-induced liquid-precursor (PILP) process. Fibrillar collagen matrices were used to assess whether solution conditions were suitable for intrafibrillar mineralization, and SEM with EDS was used to analyze mineral infiltration. Conditions of temperatures 30 °C and above and with low Mg:Ca ratios were determined to be suitable conditions for calcium carbonate infiltration. The information obtained from these observations may be useful for the manipulation and study of cellular secreted IDPs in our quest to create novel biosynthetic materials.

Spiralia is a large, ancient and diverse clade of animals, with a conserved early developmental program but diverse larval and adult morphologies. One trait shared by many spiralians is the presence of ciliary bands used for locomotion and feeding. To learn more about spiralian-specific traits we have examined the expression of 20 genes with protein motifs that are strongly conserved within the Spiralia, but not detectable outside of it. Here, we show that two of these are specifically expressed in the main ciliary band of the mollusc Tritia (also known as Ilyanassa). Their expression patterns in representative species from five more spiralian phyla—the annelids, nemerteans, phoronids, brachiopods and rotifers—show that at least one of these, lophotrochin, has a conserved and specific role in particular ciliated structures, most consistently in ciliary bands. These results highlight the potential importance of lineage-specific genes or protein motifs for understanding traits shared across ancient lineages., Spiralians have ciliary bands, used for locomotion and feeding, but defining molecular features of these structures are unknown. Here, the authors report a gene, Lophotrochin, that contains a protein domain only found in spiralians, and specifically expressed in diverse ciliary bands across the group, which provides a molecular signature for these structures.

The goal of this chapter is to explain the reasoning for developing two understudied invertebrate animal species for asking specific biological questions. The first is the ctenophore (comb jelly) Mnemiopsis leidyi and the second is the anthozoan cnidarian (starlet sea anemone) Nematostella vectensis. Although these two taxa belong to some of the earliest branching extant metazoan clades, their developmental features could hardly be more different from one another. This should serve as a general warning to be careful when extrapolating comparisons of one species to another. Two-taxon comparisons are especially flawed; and to interpret features in a phylogenetic context one must sample carefully within a given taxon to determine how representative certain features are before comparing with other clades. The other benefit of this comparison is to identify key practical factors when attempting to develop new species for experimental investigation.

Ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are a clade of fragile holopelagic, carnivorous marine invertebrates, that represent one of the most ancient extant groups of multicellular animals. Ctenophores show a remarkable ability to regenerate in the adult form, being capable of replacing all body parts (i.e., whole-body regeneration) after loss/amputation. With many favorable experimental features (optical clarity, stereotyped cell lineage, multiple cell types), a full genome sequence available and their early branching phylogenetic position, ctenophores are well placed to provide information about the evolution of regenerative ability throughout the Metazoa. Here, we provide a collection of detailed protocols for use of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi to study whole-body regeneration, including specimen collection, husbandry, surgical manipulation, and imaging techniques.

Cnidocytes (“stinging cells”) are an unequivocally novel cell type used by cnidarians (corals, jellyfish, and their kin) to immobilize prey. Although they are known to share a common evolutionary origin with neurons, the developmental program that promoted the emergence of cnidocyte fate is not known. Using functional genomics in the sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, we show that cnidocytes evolved by suppression of neural fate in a subset of neurons expressing RFamide. We further show that a single regulatory gene, a C2H2-type zinc finger transcription factor (ZNF845), coordinates both the gain of novel (cnidocyte-specific) traits and the inhibition of ancestral (neural) traits during cnidocyte development and that this gene arose by domain shuffling in the stem cnidarian. Thus, we uncover a mechanism by which a truly novel regulatory gene (ZNF845) promoted the origin of a truly novel cell type (cnidocyte) through duplication of an ancestral cell lineage (neuron) and inhibition of its ancestral identity (RFamide).SignificanceIn this study, we demonstrate how new cell types can arise in animals through duplication of an ancestral (old) cell type followed by functional divergence of the new daughter cell. Specifically, we show that stinging cells in cnidarians (jellyfish and corals) evolved by duplication of an ancestral neuron followed by inhibition of the RFamide neuropeptide it once secreted. This is the first evidence that stinging cells evolved from a specific subtype of neurons and suggests some neurons may be easier to co-opt for novel functions than others.

Major evolutionary transitions are enigmas, and the most notable enigma is between invertebrates and vertebrates, with numerous spectacular innovations. To search for the molecular connections involved, we asked whether global epigenetic changes may offer a clue by surveying the inheritance and reprogramming of parental DNA methylation across metazoans. We focused on gametes and early embryos, where the methylomes are known to evolve divergently between fish and mammals. Here, we find that methylome reprogramming during embryogenesis occurs neither in pre-bilaterians such as cnidarians nor in protostomes such as insects, but clearly presents in deuterostomes such as echinoderms and invertebrate chordates, and then becomes more evident in vertebrates. Functional association analysis suggests that DNA methylation reprogramming is associated with development, reproduction and adaptive immunity for vertebrates, but not for invertebrates. Interestingly, the single HOX cluster of invertebrates maintains unmethylated status in all stages examined. In contrast, the multiple HOX clusters show dramatic dynamics of DNA methylation during vertebrate embryogenesis. Notably, the methylation dynamics of HOX clusters are associated with their spatiotemporal expression in mammals. Our study reveals that DNA methylation reprogramming has evolved dramatically during animal evolution, especially after the evolutionary transitions from invertebrates to vertebrates, and then to mammals.

Placozoa are a morphologically simplistic group of marine animals found globally in tropical and subtropical environments. They consist of two named species, Trichoplax adhaerens and more recently Hoilungia hongkongensis, both with roughly six morphologically distinct cell types. With a sequenced genome, a limited number of cell types, and a simple flattened morphology, Trichoplax is an ideal model organism from which to explore the biology of an animal with a cellular complexity analagous to that of the earliest animals. Using a new approach for identification of gene expression patterns, this research looks at the relationship of Chordin/TgfΒ signaling and the axial patterning system of Placozoa. Our results suggest that placozoans have an oral–aboral axis similar to cnidarians and that the parahoxozoan ancestor (common ancestor of Placozoa and Cnidaria) was likely radially symmetric.

Ctenophores (a.k.a. comb jellies) are one of the earliest branching extant metazoan phyla. Adult regenerative ability varies greatly within the group, with platyctenes undergoing both sexual and asexual reproduction by fission while others in the genus Beroe having completely lost the ability to replace missing body parts. We focus on the unique regenerative aspects of the lobate ctenophore, Mnemiopsis leidyi, which has become a popular model for its rapid wound healing and tissue replacement, optical clarity, and sequenced genome. M. leidyi’s highly mosaic, stereotyped development has been leveraged to reveal the polar coordinate system that directs whole-body regeneration as well as lineage restriction of replacement cells in various regenerating organs. Several cell signaling pathways known to function in regeneration in other animals are absent from the ctenophore’s genome. Further research will either reveal ancient principles of the regenerative process common to all animals or reveal novel solutions to the stability of cell fates and whole-body regeneration.

The ability of some symbiotic cnidarians to resist and better withstand stress factors that cause bleaching is a trait that is receiving increased attention. The adaptive bleaching hypothesis postulates that cnidarians that can form a stable symbiosis with thermotolerant Symbiodiniaceae strains may cope better with increasing seawater temperatures. We used polyps of the scyphozoan, Cassiopea xamachana, as a model system to test symbiosis success under heat stress. We sought to determine: (1) if aposymbiotic C. xamachana polyps could establish and maintain a symbiosis with both native and non-native strains of Symbiodiniaceae that all exhibit different tolerances to heat, (2) whether polyps with these newly acquired Symbiodiniaceae strains would strobilate (produce ephyra), and (3) if thermally tolerant Symbiodiniaceae strains that established and maintained a symbiosis exhibited greater success in response to heat stress (even if they are not naturally occurring in Cassiopea). Following recolonization of aposymbiotic C. xamachana polyps with different strains, we found that: (1) strains Smic, Stri, Slin, and Spil all established a stable symbiosis that promoted strobilation and (2) strains Bmin1 and Bmin2 did not establish a stable symbiosis and strobilation did not occur. Strains Smic, Stri, Slin, and Spil were used in a subsequent bleaching experiment; each of the strains was introduced to a subset of aposymbiotic polyps and once polyp tissues were saturated with symbionts they were subjected to elevated temperatures - 32°C and 34°C - for 2 weeks. Our findings indicate that, in general, pairings of polyps with Symbiodiniaceae strains that are native to Cassiopea (Stri and Smic) performed better than a non-native strain (Slin) even though this strain has a high thermotolerance. This suggests a degree of partner specificity that may limit the adaptive potential of certain cnidarians to increased ocean warming. We also observed that the free-living, non-native thermotolerant strain Spil was relatively successful in resisting bleaching during experimental trials. This suggests that free-living Symbiodiniaceae may provide a supply of potentially "new" thermotolerant strains to cnidarians following a bleaching event.

Extensive adenosine-to-inosine (A-to-I) editing of nuclear-transcribed RNAs is the hallmark of metazoan transcriptional regulation, and is fundamental to numerous biochemical processes. Here we explore the origin and evolution of this regulatory innovation, by quantifying its prevalence in 22 species that represent all major transitions in metazoan evolution. We provide substantial evidence that extensive RNA editing emerged in the common ancestor of extant metazoans. We find the frequency of RNA editing varies across taxa in a manner independent of metazoan complexity. Nevertheless, cis-acting features that guide A-to-I editing are under strong constraint across all metazoans. RNA editing seems to preserve an ancient mechanism for suppressing the more recently evolved repetitive elements, and is generally nonadaptive in protein-coding regions across metazoans, except forDrosophilaand cephalopods. Interestingly, RNA editing preferentially target genes involved in neurotransmission, cellular communication and cytoskeleton, and recodes identical amino acid positions in several conserved genes across diverse taxa, emphasizing broad roles of RNA editing in cellular functions during metazoan evolution that have been previously underappreciated.

peer-reviewed Pollution from anthropogenic marine debris, particularly buoyant plastics, is ubiquitous across marine ecosystems. Due to the persistent nature of plastics in the environment, their buoyancy characteristics, degradation dynamics, and ability to mimic the behavior of natural prey, there exists significant opportunity for marine organisms to ingest these man-made materials. In this study we examined gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of 42 post-hatchling loggerhead (Caretta caretta) sea turtles stranded in Northeast Florida. Necropsies revealed abundant numbers of plastic fragments ranging from 0.36 to 12.39 mm in size (length), recovered from the GI tracts of 39 of the 42 animals (92.86%), with GI burdens ranging from 0 to 287 fragments with a mass of up to 0.33 g per turtle. Post-hatchlings weighed from 16.0 to 47.59 g yielding a plastic to body weight percentage of up to 1.23%. Several types of plastic fragments were isolated, but hard fragments and sheet plastic were the most common type, while the dominant frequency of fragment color was white. Fragment size and abundance mixed with natural gut contents suggests significant negative health consequences from ingestion in animals at this life stage. Gaining greater insight into the prevalence of plastic ingestion, the types of plastic and the physiological effects of plastic consumption by multiple life-stages of sea turtles will aid the prioritization of mitigation efforts for the growing marine debris problem. This report demonstrates that plastic ingestion is a critical issue for marine turtles from the earliest stages of life.

The mutualistic relationship between dinoflagellates in the genus Symbiodinium microadriaticum and animals in the phylum Cnidaria , specifically corals, make up one of the most well-known symbioses in the marine environment. The nature of the relationship is such that these symbiotic algae provide products of photosynthesis to their cnidarian hosts, while the algae are afforded refuge within the endodermal cells of the host. Use of the model system Cassiopea xamachana (a.k.a. the ‘upside down jellyfish’), a scyphozoan that can be reared throughout its entire life cycle in a laboratory setting, allowed for the study of the cnidarian-algal symbiosis without many of the constraints involved when working with corals and other cnidarians. The aposymbiotic polyp stage of C. xamachana was used in this study to visualize the acquisition of algal cells by endodermal cells of host animals, a requisite phenomenon for the transition to a free living medusae (strobilation). Polyps harboring algae from environmental sources prior to experimentation were subjected to high temperatures to initiate the expulsion of algae and to obtain polyps that were completely free of symbionts (aposymbiotic); bleaching was confirmed with high resolution confocal microscopy . Aposymbiotic polyps were subsequently introduced to low numbers of Symbiodinium, and the intrinsic growth rate of algae calculated based on count data generated at 7-day intervals. Symbiodinium used for reintroduction in experimental trials were obtained from three sources: (1) commercially cultured algal cells (type A194), (2) algae that had been expelled from their host tissues following heat-induced bleaching in the laboratory, and (3) algae freshly isolated from an adult medusa. These three sources of algal cells were used to represent the possible reservoirs from which bleached animals might replenish their symbiont population following a bleaching event. Symbiodinium cells were acquired by C. xamachana polyps in all three treatment groups, although cultured Symbiodinium A194 exhibited the slowest mean intrinsic growth rate (0.054 d−1) once they were housed within endodermal cells of their host. Mean time to strobilation was accordingly slow (>120 days) for those polyps harboring type A194 symbionts. In fact, polyps harboring other sourced Symbiodinium strobilated in

Hox gene transcription factors are important regulators of positional identity along the anterior–posterior axis in bilaterian animals. Cnidarians (e.g., sea anemones, corals, and hydroids) are the sister group to the Bilateria and possess genes related to both anterior and central/posterior class Hox genes. Here we report a previously unrecognized domain of Hox expression in the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, beginning at early blastula stages. We explore the relationship of two opposing Hox genes (NvAx6/NvAx1) expressed on each side of the blastula during early development. Functional perturbation reveals that NvAx6 and NvAx1 not only regulate their respective expression domains, but also interact with Wnt genes to pattern the entire oral–aboral axis. These findings suggest an ancient link between Hox/Wnt patterning during axis formation and indicate that oral–aboral domains are likely established during blastula formation in anthozoan cnidarians., Hox genes regulate anterior–posterior axis formation but their role in cnidarians is unclear. Here, the authors disrupt Hox genes NvAx1 and NvAx6 in the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, showing antagonist function in patterning the oral–aboral axis and a link to Wnt signaling.

The maternal-zygotic transition (MZT) describes the developmental reprogramming of gene expression marked by the degradation of maternally supplied gene products and activation of the zygotic genome. While the timing and duration of the MZT vary among taxa, little is known about early stage transcriptional dynamics in the non-bilaterian phylum Ctenophora. We sought to better understand the extent of maternal mRNA loading and subsequent differential transcript abundance during the earliest stages of development by performing comprehensive RNA-sequencing-based analyses of mRNA abundance in single- and eight-cell-stage embryos in the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. We found 1,908 contigs with significant differential abundance between single- and eight-cell stages, of which 1,208 contigs were more abundant at the single-cell stage and 700 contigs were more abundant at the eight-cell stage. Of the differentially abundant contigs, 267 were exclusively present in the eight-cell samples, providing strong evidence that both the MZT and zygotic genome activation (ZGA) have commenced by the eight-cell stage. Many highly abundant transcripts encode genes involved in molecular mechanisms critical to the MZT, such as maternal transcript degradation, serine/threonine kinase activity, and chromatin remodeling. Our results suggest that chromosomal restructuring, which is critical to ZGA and the initiation of transcriptional regulation necessary for normal development, begins by the third cleavage within 1.5 hours post-fertilization in Mnemiopsis leidyi. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Background Pax genes are a family of conserved transcription factors that regulate many aspects of developmental morphogenesis, notably the development of ectodermal sensory structures including eyes. Nematostella vectensis, the starlet sea anemone, has numerous Pax orthologs, many of which are expressed early during embryogenesis. The function of Pax genes in this eyeless cnidarian is unknown. Results Here, we show that PaxA, but not PaxC, plays a critical role in the development of cnidocytes in N. vectensis. Knockdown of PaxA results in a loss of developing cnidocytes and downregulation of numerous cnidocyte-specific genes, including a variant of the transcription factor Mef2. We also demonstrate that the co-expression of Mef2 in a subset of the PaxA-expressing cells is associated with the development with a second lineage of cnidocytes and show that knockdown of the neural progenitor gene SoxB2 results in downregulation of expression of PaxA, Mef2, and several cnidocyte-specific genes. Because PaxA is not co-expressed with SoxB2 at any time during cnidocyte development, we propose a simple model for cnidogenesis whereby a SoxB2-expressing progenitor cell population undergoes division to give rise to PaxA-expressing cnidocytes, some of which also express Mef2. Discussion The role of PaxA in cnidocyte development among hydrozoans has not been studied, but the conserved role of SoxB2 in regulating the fate of a progenitor cell that gives rise to neurons and cnidocytes in Nematostella and Hydractinia echinata suggests that this SoxB2/PaxA pathway may well be conserved across cnidarians.

BackgroundThe ability to regenerate is a widely distributed but highly variable trait among metazoans. A variety of modes of regeneration has been described for different organisms; however, many questions regarding the origin and evolution of these strategies remain unanswered. Most species of ctenophore (or “comb jellies”), a clade of marine animals that branch off at the base of the animal tree of life, possess an outstanding capacity to regenerate. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this ability are unknown. We have used the ctenophoreMnemiopsis leidyias a system to study wound healing and adult regeneration and provide some first-time insights of the cellular mechanisms involved in the regeneration of one of the most ancient extant group of multicellular animals.ResultsWe show that cell proliferation is activated at the wound site and is indispensable for whole-body regeneration. Wound healing occurs normally in the absence of cell proliferation forming a scar-less wound epithelium. No blastema-like structure is generated at the cut site, and pulse-chase experiments and surgical intervention show that cells originating in the main regions of cell proliferation (the tentacle bulbs) do not seem to contribute to the formation of new structures after surgical challenge, suggesting a local source of cells during regeneration. While exposure to cell-proliferation blocking treatment inhibits regeneration, the ability to regenerate is recovered when the treatment ends (days after the original cut), suggesting that ctenophore regenerative capabilities are constantly ready to be triggered and they are somehow separable of the wound healing process.ConclusionsCtenophore regeneration takes place through a process of cell proliferation-dependent non-blastemal-like regeneration and is temporally separable of the wound healing process. We propose that undifferentiated cells assume the correct location of missing structures and differentiate in place. The remarkable ability to replace missing tissue, the many favorable experimental features (e.g., optical clarity, high fecundity, rapid regenerative performance, stereotyped cell lineage, sequenced genome), and the early branching phylogenetic position in the animal tree, all point to the emergence of ctenophores as a new model system to study the evolution of animal regeneration.

The ß-catenin protein has two major known functions in animal cells. It keeps epithelial tissue homeostasis by its connection with Adherens Junctions (AJ), and it serves as a transcriptional cofactor along with Lef/Tcf to enter the nucleus and regulate target genes of the Wnt/ß-catenin (cWnt) signaling pathway. To assess the ancestral role of ß-catenin during development we examined its distribution and function in the ctenophoreMnemiopsis leidyi(one of the earliest branching animal phyla) by using ctenophore-specific antibodies and mRNA injection. We found that ß-catenin protein never localizes to cell-cell contacts during embryogenesis as it does in other metazoans, most likely because ctenophore-cadherins do not have the cytoplasmic domain required for interaction with the catenin proteins. Downregulation of zygoticMlß-catenin signaling led to the loss of endodermal and mesodermal tissues indicating that nuclear ß-catenin may have a deep role in germ-layer evolution. Our results indicate that the ancestral role for ß-catenin was in the cell-fate specification and not in cell adhesion and also further emphasizes the critical role of this protein in the evolution of tissue layers in metazoans.

BackgroundThe ability to regenerate is a widely distributed but highly variable trait among metazoans. A variety of modes of regeneration has been described for different organisms, however, many questions regarding the origin and evolution of these strategies remain unanswered. Most species of ctenophore (or “comb jellies”), a clade of marine animals that branch off at the base of the animal tree of life, possess an outstanding capacity to regenerate. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this ability are unknown. We have used the ctenophoreMnemiopsis leidyias a system to study wound healing and adult regeneration and provide some first-time insights of the cellular mechanisms involved in the regeneration of one of the most ancient extant group of multicellular animals.ResultsWe show that cell proliferation is activated at the wound site and is indispensable for whole-body regeneration. Wound healing occurs normally in the absence of cell proliferation forming a scar-less wound epithelium. No blastema-like structure is generated at the cut site, rather undifferentiated cells assume the correct location of missing structures and differentiate in place. Pulse-chase experiments and surgical intervention show that cells originating in the main regions of cell proliferation (the tentacle bulbs) do not seem to contribute to the formation of new structures after surgical challenge, suggesting a local source of cells during regeneration. While exposure to cell-proliferation blocking treatment inhibits regeneration, the ability to regenerate is recovered when the treatment ends (days after the original cut), suggesting that ctenophore regenerative capabilities are constantly ready to be triggered and they are somehow separable of the wound healing process.ConclusionsCtenophore regeneration takes place through a process of cell proliferation-dependent non blastemal-like regeneration and is temporally separable of the wound healing process. The remarkable ability to replace missing tissue, the many favorable experimental features (e.g. optical clarity, high fecundity, rapid regenerative performance, stereotyped cell lineage, sequenced genome), and the early branching phylogenetic position in the animal tree, all point to the emergence of ctenophores as a new model system to study the evolution of animal regeneration.

Our recent Communications Biology research article revealed the genomic drivers and therapeutic vulnerabilities of sea turtle fibropapillomatosis tumors. Fibropapillomatosis is a debilitating tumorous disease afflicting populations of green sea turtles globally. While a virus is involved in the development of this disease, it is increasingly understood that the key trigger is linked to anthropogenic disturbances of the environment. The specific environmental co-trigger(s) has yet to be functionally confirmed. Here we outline the next steps required to advance our understanding of this enigmatic disease, to enable us to more effectively clinically combat it and to ultimately tackle its environmental co-trigger to halt and hopefully reverse the spread of fibropapillomatosis.

BackgroundPhoronids, rhynchonelliform and linguliform brachiopods show striking similarities in their embryonic fate maps, in particular in their axis specification and regionalization. However, although brachiopod development has been studied in detail and demonstrated embryonic patterning as a causal factor of the gastrulation mode (protostomy vs deuterostomy), molecular descriptions are still missing in phoronids. To understand whether phoronids display underlying embryonic molecular mechanisms similar to those of brachiopods, here we report the expression patterns of anterior (otx,gsc,six3/6,nk2.1), posterior (cdx, bra) and endomesodermal (foxA,gata4/5/6,twist) markers during the development of the protostomic phoronidPhoronopsis harmeri.ResultsThe transcription factorsfoxA, gata4/5/6andcdxshow conserved expression in patterning the development and regionalization of the phoronid embryonic gut, withfoxAexpressed in the presumptive foregut,gata4/5/6demarcating the midgut andcdxconfined to the hindgut. Furthermore,six3/6,usually a well-conserved anterior marker, shows a remarkably dynamic expression, demarcating not only the apical organ and the oral ectoderm, but also clusters of cells of the developing midgut and the anterior mesoderm, similar to what has been reported for brachiopods, bryozoans and some deuterostome Bilateria. Surprisingly,brachyury, a transcription factor often associated with gastrulation movements and mouth and hindgut development, seems not to be involved with these patterning events in phoronids.ConclusionsOur description and comparison of gene expression patterns with other studied Bilateria reveals that the timing of axis determination and cell fate distribution of the phoronid shows highest similarity to that of rhynchonelliform brachiopods, which is likely related to their shared protostomic mode of development. Despite these similarities, the phoronidPh. harmerialso shows particularities in its development, which hint to divergences in the arrangement of gene regulatory networks responsible for germ layer formation and axis specification.

In bilaterians and cnidarians, embryonic and epithelial cell-polarity are regulated by the interactions between Par proteins, Wnt/PCP signaling pathway, and cell-cell adhesion. Par proteins are highly conserved across Metazoa, including ctenophores. But strikingly, ctenophore genomes lack components of the Wnt/PCP pathway and cell-cell adhesion complexes; raising the question if ctenophore cells are polarized by mechanisms involving Par proteins. Here, by using immunohistochemistry and live-cell imaging overexpression of specific mRNAs, we describe for the first time the subcellular localization of selected Par proteins in blastomeres and epithelial cells during the embryogenesis of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. We show that these proteins distribute differently compared to what has been described for other animals, even though they segregate in a host-specific fashion when expressed in cnidarian embryos. This differential localization might be related to the emergence of different junctional complexes during metazoan evolution. Data obtained here challenge the ancestry of the apicobasal cell polarity and raise questions about the homology of epithelial tissue across the Metazoa.

Ctenophores are a clade of animals that branch off at the base of the animal tree. They have a unique and delicate body plan, and distinct pattern forming mechanisms at different life history stages. They have a stereotyped embryonic cell lineage and are highly 'mosaic' as embryos, but most have amazing capacity to regenerate as adults. Unfortunately, only a handful of ctenophore species have been studied in detail. This review summarizes the key features of the regenerative properties of adults, and the characteristics of the embryological onset of regenerative abilities. The genomes of several ctenophore species have already been sequenced, and these resources set the stage for more detailed cellular and molecular analysis of body plan patterning in this group.