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Anselmi C, Kowarsky M, Gasparini F, Caicci F, Ishizuka KJ, Palmeri KJ, Raveh T, Sinha R, Neff N, Quake SR, Weissman IL, Voskoboynik A, Manni L. Two distinct evolutionary conserved neural degeneration pathways characterized in a colonial chordate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2203032119. [PMID: 35858312 PMCID: PMC9303981 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2203032119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Colonial tunicates are marine organisms that possess multiple brains simultaneously during their colonial phase. While the cyclical processes of neurogenesis and neurodegeneration characterizing their life cycle have been documented previously, the cellular and molecular changes associated with such processes and their relationship with variation in brain morphology and individual (zooid) behavior throughout adult life remains unknown. Here, we introduce Botryllus schlosseri as an invertebrate model for neurogenesis, neural degeneration, and evolutionary neuroscience. Our analysis reveals that during the weekly colony budding (i.e., asexual reproduction), prior to programmed cell death and removal by phagocytes, decreases in the number of neurons in the adult brain are associated with reduced behavioral response and significant change in the expression of 73 mammalian homologous genes associated with neurodegenerative disease. Similarly, when comparing young colonies (1 to 2 y of age) to those reared in a laboratory for ∼20 y, we found that older colonies contained significantly fewer neurons and exhibited reduced behavioral response alongside changes in the expression of 148 such genes (35 of which were differentially expressed across both timescales). The existence of two distinct yet apparently related neurodegenerative pathways represents a novel platform to study the gene products governing the relationship between aging, neural regeneration and degeneration, and loss of nervous system function. Indeed, as a member of an evolutionary clade considered to be a sister group of vertebrates, this organism may be a fundamental resource in understanding how evolution has shaped these processes across phylogeny and obtaining mechanistic insight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Anselmi
- Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Mark Kowarsky
- Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Fabio Gasparini
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Padova, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | - Federico Caicci
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Padova, 35131, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Karla J. Palmeri
- Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
| | - Tal Raveh
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Rahul Sinha
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Norma Neff
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco CA 94158
| | - Stephen R. Quake
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco CA 94158
- Departments of Applied Physics and Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Irving L. Weissman
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco CA 94158
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
| | - Ayelet Voskoboynik
- Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco CA 94158
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA 93950
| | - Lucia Manni
- Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli Studi di Padova, 35131, Padova, Italy
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Ricci L, Salmon B, Olivier C, Andreoni-Pham R, Chaurasia A, Alié A, Tiozzo S. The Onset of Whole-Body Regeneration in Botryllus schlosseri: Morphological and Molecular Characterization. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:843775. [PMID: 35237607 PMCID: PMC8882763 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.843775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Colonial tunicates are the only chordates that regularly regenerate a fully functional whole body as part of their asexual life cycle, starting from specific epithelia and/or mesenchymal cells. In addition, in some species, whole-body regeneration (WBR) can also be triggered by extensive injuries, which deplete most of their tissues and organs and leave behind only small fragments of their body. In this manuscript, we characterized the onset of WBR in Botryllus schlosseri, one colonial tunicate long used as a laboratory model. We first analyzed the transcriptomic response to a WBR-triggering injury. Then, through morphological characterization, in vivo observations via time-lapse, vital dyes, and cell transplant assays, we started to reconstruct the dynamics of the cells triggering regeneration, highlighting an interplay between mesenchymal and epithelial cells. The dynamics described here suggest that WBR in B. schlosseri is initiated by extravascular tissue fragments derived from the injured individuals rather than particular populations of blood-borne cells, as has been described in closely related species. The morphological and molecular datasets here reported provide the background for future mechanistic studies of the WBR ontogenesis in B. schlosseri and allow to compare it with other regenerative processes occurring in other tunicate species and possibly independently evolved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Ricci
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging in Nice (IRCAN), CNRS, INSERM, Université Côte d’Azur, Nice, France
| | - Bastien Salmon
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Caroline Olivier
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Rita Andreoni-Pham
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- Institute for Research on Cancer and Aging in Nice (IRCAN), CNRS, INSERM, Université Côte d’Azur, Nice, France
| | - Ankita Chaurasia
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Alexandre Alié
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
| | - Stefano Tiozzo
- Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne University, Paris, France
- *Correspondence: Stefano Tiozzo,
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D’Aniello E, Paganos P, Anishchenko E, D’Aniello S, Arnone MI. Comparative Neurobiology of Biogenic Amines in Animal Models in Deuterostomes. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.587036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Razy-Krajka F, Stolfi A. Regulation and evolution of muscle development in tunicates. EvoDevo 2019; 10:13. [PMID: 31249657 PMCID: PMC6589888 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-019-0125-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
For more than a century, studies on tunicate muscle formation have revealed many principles of cell fate specification, gene regulation, morphogenesis, and evolution. Here, we review the key studies that have probed the development of all the various muscle cell types in a wide variety of tunicate species. We seize this occasion to explore the implications and questions raised by these findings in the broader context of muscle evolution in chordates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Razy-Krajka
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
| | - Alberto Stolfi
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA
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Prünster MM, Ricci L, Brown FD, Tiozzo S. Modular co-option of cardiopharyngeal genes during non-embryonic myogenesis. EvoDevo 2019; 10:3. [PMID: 30867897 PMCID: PMC6399929 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-019-0116-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2018] [Accepted: 02/15/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In chordates, cardiac and body muscles arise from different embryonic origins. In addition, myogenesis can be triggered in adult organisms, during asexual development or regeneration. In non-vertebrate chordates like ascidians, muscles originate from embryonic precursors regulated by a conserved set of genes that orchestrate cell behavior and dynamics during development. In colonial ascidians, besides embryogenesis and metamorphosis, an adult can propagate asexually via blastogenesis, skipping embryo and larval stages, and form anew the adult body, including the complete body musculature. Results To investigate the cellular origin and mechanisms that trigger non-embryonic myogenesis, we followed the expression of ascidian myogenic genes during Botryllus schlosseri blastogenesis and reconstructed the dynamics of muscle precursors. Based on the expression dynamics of Tbx1/10, Ebf, Mrf, Myh3 for body wall and of FoxF, Tbx1/10, Nk4, Myh2 for heart development, we show that the embryonic factors regulating myogenesis are only partially co-opted in blastogenesis, and that markers for muscle precursors are expressed in two separate domains: the dorsal tube and the ventral mesenchyma. Conclusions Regardless of the developmental pathway, non-embryonic myogenesis shares a similar molecular and anatomical setup as embryonic myogenesis, but implements a co-option and loss of molecular modules. We then propose that the cellular precursors contributing to heart and body muscles may have different origins and may be coordinated by different developmental pathways. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13227-019-0116-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Mandela Prünster
- 1Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 06230 Villefranche sur Mer, France
| | - Lorenzo Ricci
- 1Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 06230 Villefranche sur Mer, France.,2Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
| | - Federico D Brown
- 3Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP CEP 05508-090 Brazil.,4Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar), Universidade de São Paulo, São Sebastião, SP CEP 11612-109 Brazil
| | - Stefano Tiozzo
- 1Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer (LBDV), CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 06230 Villefranche sur Mer, France
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Prünster MM, Ricci L, Brown FD, Tiozzo S. De novo neurogenesis in a budding chordate: Co-option of larval anteroposterior patterning genes in a transitory neurogenic organ. Dev Biol 2018; 448:342-352. [PMID: 30563648 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2018.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2018] [Revised: 08/29/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
During metamorphosis of solitary ascidians, part of the larval tubular nervous system is recruited to form the adult central nervous system (CNS) through neural stem-like cells called ependymal cells. The anteroposterior (AP) gene expression patterning of the larval CNS regionalize the distribution of the ependymal cells, which contains the positional information of the neurons of the adult nervous system. In colonial ascidians, the CNS of asexually developed zooids has the same morphology of the one of the post-metamorphic zooids. However, its development follows a completely different organogenesis that lacks embryogenesis, a larval phase and metamorphosis. In order to describe neurogenesis during asexual development (blastogenesis), we followed the expression of six CNS AP patterning genes conserved in chordates and five neural-related genes to determine neural cell identity in Botryllus schlosseri. We observed that a neurogenesis occurs de novo on each blastogenic cycle starting from a neurogenic transitory structure, the dorsal tube. The dorsal tube partially co-opts the AP patterning of the larval CNS markers, and potentially combine the neurogenesis role and provider of positional clues for neuron patterning. This study shows how a larval developmental module is reused in a direct asexual development in order to generate the same structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Mandela Prünster
- Sorbonne Universités, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer (LBDV), 06230 Paris, France
| | - Lorenzo Ricci
- Sorbonne Universités, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer (LBDV), 06230 Paris, France; Harvard University, Department of Organismic&Evolutionary Biology, 52 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, United States
| | - Federico D Brown
- Departamento de Zoologia - Instituto Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP CEP 05508-090, Brazil; Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar), Universidade de São Paulo, São Sebastião, SP CEP 11612-109, Brazil
| | - Stefano Tiozzo
- Sorbonne Universités, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer (LBDV), 06230 Paris, France.
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Valero-Gracia A, Marino R, Crocetta F, Nittoli V, Tiozzo S, Sordino P. Comparative localization of serotonin-like immunoreactive cells in Thaliacea informs tunicate phylogeny. Front Zool 2016; 13:45. [PMID: 27708681 PMCID: PMC5041399 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-016-0177-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 09/16/2016] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Thaliaceans is one of the understudied classes of the phylum Tunicata. In particular, their phylogenetic relationships remain an issue of debate. The overall pattern of serotonin (5-HT) distribution is an excellent biochemical trait to interpret internal relationships at order level. In the experiments reported here we compared serotonin-like immunoreactivity at different life cycle stages of two salpid, one doliolid, and one pyrosomatid species. This multi-species comparison provides new neuroanatomical data for better resolving the phylogeny of the class Thaliacea. RESULTS Adults of all four examined thaliacean species exhibited serotonin-like immunoreactivity in neuronal and non-neuronal cell types, whose anatomical position with respect to the nervous system is consistently identifiable due to α-tubulin immunoreactivity. The results indicate an extensive pattern that is consistent with the presence of serotonin in cell bodies of variable morphology and position, with some variation within and among orders. Serotonin-like immunoreactivity was not found in immature forms such as blastozooids (Salpida), tadpole larvae (Doliolida) and young zooids (Pyrosomatida). CONCLUSIONS Comparative anatomy of serotonin-like immunoreactivity in all three thaliacean clades has not been reported previously. These results are discussed with regard to studies of serotonin-like immunoreactivity in adult ascidians. Lack of serotonin-like immunoreactivity in the endostyle of Salpida and Doliolida compared to Pyrosomella verticillata might be the result of secondary loss of serotonin control over ciliary beating and mucus secretion. These data, when combined with other plesiomorphic characters, support the hypothesis that Pyrosomatida is basal to these clades within Phlebobranchiata and that Salpida and Doliolida constitute sister-groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Valero-Gracia
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Rita Marino
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Fabio Crocetta
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
- Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, GR-19013 Anavyssos, Greece
| | - Valeria Nittoli
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
| | - Stefano Tiozzo
- Observatoire Océanographique, CNRS, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
| | - Paolo Sordino
- Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
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Braun K, Stach T. Comparative study of serotonin-like immunoreactivity in the branchial basket, digestive tract, and nervous system in tunicates. ZOOMORPHOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00435-016-0317-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Di Maio A, Setar L, Tiozzo S, De Tomaso AW. Wnt affects symmetry and morphogenesis during post-embryonic development in colonial chordates. EvoDevo 2015; 6:17. [PMID: 26171140 PMCID: PMC4499891 DOI: 10.1186/s13227-015-0009-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Accepted: 04/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Wnt signaling is one of the earliest and most highly conserved regulatory pathways for the establishment of the body axes during regeneration and early development. In regeneration, body axes determination occurs independently of tissue rearrangement and early developmental cues. Modulation of the Wnt signaling in either process has shown to result in unusual body axis phenotypes. Botryllus schlosseri is a colonial ascidian that can regenerate its entire body through asexual budding. This processes leads to an adult body via a stereotypical developmental pathway (called blastogenesis), without proceeding through any embryonic developmental stages. Results In this study, we describe the role of the canonical Wnt pathway during the early stages of asexual development. We characterized expression of three Wnt ligands (Wnt2B, Wnt5A, and Wnt9A) by in situ hybridization and qRT-PCR. Chemical manipulation of the pathway resulted in atypical budding due to the duplication of the A/P axes, supernumerary budding, and loss of the overall cell apical-basal polarity. Conclusions Our results suggest that Wnt signaling is used for equivalent developmental processes both during embryogenesis and asexual development in an adult organism, suggesting that patterning mechanisms driving morphogenesis are conserved, independent of embryonic, or regenerative development. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13227-015-0009-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Di Maio
- School of Bioscience, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B19 2TT UK.,Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
| | - Leah Setar
- Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
| | - Stefano Tiozzo
- CNRS, Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Observatoire Océanographique, 06230 Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Anthony W De Tomaso
- Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
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Manni L, Gasparini F, Hotta K, Ishizuka KJ, Ricci L, Tiozzo S, Voskoboynik A, Dauga D. Ontology for the asexual development and anatomy of the colonial chordate Botryllus schlosseri. PLoS One 2014; 9:e96434. [PMID: 24789338 PMCID: PMC4006837 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0096434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2014] [Accepted: 04/07/2014] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Ontologies provide an important resource to integrate information. For developmental biology and comparative anatomy studies, ontologies of a species are used to formalize and annotate data that are related to anatomical structures, their lineage and timing of development. Here, we have constructed the first ontology for anatomy and asexual development (blastogenesis) of a bilaterian, the colonial tunicate Botryllus schlosseri. Tunicates, like Botryllus schlosseri, are non-vertebrates and the only chordate taxon species that reproduce both sexually and asexually. Their tadpole larval stage possesses structures characteristic of all chordates, i.e. a notochord, a dorsal neural tube, and gill slits. Larvae settle and metamorphose into individuals that are either solitary or colonial. The latter reproduce both sexually and asexually and these two reproductive modes lead to essentially the same adult body plan. The Botryllus schlosseri Ontology of Development and Anatomy (BODA) will facilitate the comparison between both types of development. BODA uses the rules defined by the Open Biomedical Ontologies Foundry. It is based on studies that investigate the anatomy, blastogenesis and regeneration of this organism. BODA features allow the users to easily search and identify anatomical structures in the colony, to define the developmental stage, and to follow the morphogenetic events of a tissue and/or organ of interest throughout asexual development. We invite the scientific community to use this resource as a reference for the anatomy and developmental ontology of B. schlosseri and encourage recommendations for updates and improvements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Manni
- Department of Biology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Kohji Hotta
- Department of Biosciences and Informatics, Faculty of Science and Technology, Keio University, Kouhoku-ku, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Katherine J. Ishizuka
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Lorenzo Ricci
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (University of Paris 06), Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Observatoire Océanographique, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Stefano Tiozzo
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Universités, Université Pierre et Marie Curie (University of Paris 06), Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-mer, Observatoire Océanographique, Villefranche-sur-mer, France
| | - Ayelet Voskoboynik
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, and Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford, California, United States of America
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Kürn U, Rendulic S, Tiozzo S, Lauzon RJ. Asexual propagation and regeneration in colonial ascidians. THE BIOLOGICAL BULLETIN 2011; 221:43-61. [PMID: 21876110 DOI: 10.1086/bblv221n1p43] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Regeneration is widely distributed among the metazoans. However, clear differences exist as to the degree of regenerative capacity: some phyla can only replace missing body parts, whereas others can generate entirely new individuals. Ascidians are animals that possess a remarkable regenerative plasticity and exhibit a great diversity of mechanisms for asexual propagation and survival. They are marine invertebrate members of the subphylum Tunicata and represent modern-day descendants of the chordate ancestor; in their tadpole stage they exhibit a chordate body plan that is resorbed during metamorphosis. Solitary species grow into an adult that can reach several centimeters in length, whereas colonial species grow by asexual propagation, creating a colony of genetically identical individuals. In this review, we present an overview of the biology of colonial ascidians as a paradigm for study in stem cell and regenerative biology. Focusing on botryllid ascidians, we introduce the potential roles played by multipotent epithelia and multipotent/pluripotent stem cells as source of asexual propagation and regenerative plasticity in the different budding mechanisms, and consider the putative mechanism of body repatterning in a non-embryonic scenario. We also discuss the involvement of intra-colony homeostatic processes in regulating budding potential, and the functional link between allorecognition, chimerism, and regenerative potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrich Kürn
- Zoological Institute, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Olshausenstrasse, Germany
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