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Medina-Feliciano JG, García-Arrarás JE. Regeneration in Echinoderms: Molecular Advancements. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:768641. [PMID: 34977019 PMCID: PMC8718600 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.768641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Which genes and gene signaling pathways mediate regenerative processes? In recent years, multiple studies, using a variety of animal models, have aimed to answer this question. Some answers have been obtained from transcriptomic and genomic studies where possible gene and gene pathway candidates thought to be involved in tissue and organ regeneration have been identified. Several of these studies have been done in echinoderms, an animal group that forms part of the deuterostomes along with vertebrates. Echinoderms, with their outstanding regenerative abilities, can provide important insights into the molecular basis of regeneration. Here we review the available data to determine the genes and signaling pathways that have been proposed to be involved in regenerative processes. Our analyses provide a curated list of genes and gene signaling pathways and match them with the different cellular processes of the regenerative response. In this way, the molecular basis of echinoderm regenerative potential is revealed, and is available for comparisons with other animal taxa.
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Piovani L, Czarkwiani A, Ferrario C, Sugni M, Oliveri P. Ultrastructural and molecular analysis of the origin and differentiation of cells mediating brittle star skeletal regeneration. BMC Biol 2021; 19:9. [PMID: 33461552 PMCID: PMC7814545 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00937-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Regeneration is the ability to re-grow body parts or tissues after trauma, and it is widespread across metazoans. Cells involved in regeneration can arise from a pool of undifferentiated proliferative cells or be recruited from pre-existing differentiated tissues. Both mechanisms have been described in different phyla; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms employed by different animals to restore lost tissues as well as the source of cells involved in regeneration remain largely unknown. Echinoderms are a clade of deuterostome invertebrates that show striking larval and adult regenerative abilities in all extant classes. Here, we use the brittle star Amphiura filiformis to investigate the origin and differentiation of cells involved in skeletal regeneration using a combination of microscopy techniques and molecular markers. RESULTS Our ultrastructural analyses at different regenerative stages identify a population of morphologically undifferentiated cells which appear in close contact with the proliferating epithelium of the regenerating aboral coelomic cavity. These cells express skeletogenic marker genes, such as the transcription factor alx1 and the differentiation genes c-lectin and msp130L, and display a gradient of morphological differentiation from the aboral coelomic cavity towards the epidermis. Cells closer to the epidermis, which are in contact with developing spicules, have the morphology of mature skeletal cells (sclerocytes), and express several skeletogenic transcription factors and differentiation genes. Moreover, as regeneration progresses, sclerocytes show a different combinatorial expression of genes in various skeletal elements. CONCLUSIONS We hypothesize that sclerocyte precursors originate from the epithelium of the proliferating aboral coelomic cavity. As these cells migrate towards the epidermis, they differentiate and start secreting spicules. Moreover, our study shows that molecular and cellular processes involved in skeletal regeneration resemble those used during skeletal development, hinting at a possible conservation of developmental programmes during adult regeneration. Finally, we highlight that many genes involved in echinoderm skeletogenesis also play a role in vertebrate skeleton formation, suggesting a possible common origin of the deuterostome endoskeleton pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Piovani
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via Celoria, 2, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- Center for Life Origins and Evolution, University College London, London, UK
| | - Anna Czarkwiani
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- Present Address: DFG-Center for Regenerative Therapies Technische Universität Dresden (CRTD), Dresden, Germany
| | - Cinzia Ferrario
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via Celoria, 2, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Center for Complexity and Biosystems, Department of Physics, University of Milan, Via Celoria, 16, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Sugni
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via Celoria, 2, 20133, Milan, Italy.
- Center for Complexity and Biosystems, Department of Physics, University of Milan, Via Celoria, 16, 20133, Milan, Italy.
- GAIA 2050 Center, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via Celoria, 2, 20133, Milan, Italy.
| | - Paola Oliveri
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
- Center for Life Origins and Evolution, University College London, London, UK.
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Ferrario C, Sugni M, Somorjai IML, Ballarin L. Beyond Adult Stem Cells: Dedifferentiation as a Unifying Mechanism Underlying Regeneration in Invertebrate Deuterostomes. Front Cell Dev Biol 2020; 8:587320. [PMID: 33195242 PMCID: PMC7606891 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.587320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The diversity of regenerative phenomena seen in adult metazoans, as well as their underlying mechanistic bases, are still far from being comprehensively understood. Reviewing both ultrastructural and molecular data, the present work aims to showcase the increasing relevance of invertebrate deuterostomes, i.e., echinoderms, hemichordates, cephalochordates and tunicates, as invaluable models to study cellular aspects of adult regeneration. Our comparative approach suggests a fundamental contribution of local dedifferentiation -rather than mobilization of resident undifferentiated stem cells- as an important cellular mechanism contributing to regeneration in these groups. Thus, elucidating the cellular origins, recruitment and fate of cells, as well as the molecular signals underpinning tissue regrowth in regeneration-competent deuterostomes, will provide the foundation for future research in tackling the relatively limited regenerative abilities of vertebrates, with clear applications in regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Ferrario
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Center for Complexity and Biosystems, Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Michela Sugni
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Center for Complexity and Biosystems, Department of Physics, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- GAIA 2050 Center, Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Ildiko M. L. Somorjai
- The Willie Russel Laboratories, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, North Haugh, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom
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