The involvement of three signal transduction pathways in botryllid ascidian astogeny, as revealed by expression patterns of representative genes

Rosner, Amalia; Alfassi, Gilad; Моисеева, Е. Г.; Paz, Guy; Rabinowitz, Claudette; Lapidot, Ziva; Douek, Jacob; Haim, Abraham; Rinkevich, Baruch

doi:10.1387/ijdb.140114ar

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Our phylogenetic analyses provided the first fully resolved orthology of ascidian Wnt genes, allowing us to rename previously described genes still classified as “orphan Wnts ” with unclear orthology, as well as to settle conflicting orthology assignments, probably caused by limited species sampling [ 29 – 32 ] (Fig. 1a and Additional file 1 : Table S1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wnt evolution and function shuffling in liberal and conservative chordate genomes

et al. 2018

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BackgroundWhat impact gene loss has on the evolution of developmental processes, and how function shuffling has affected retained genes driving essential biological processes, remain open questions in the fields of genome evolution and EvoDevo. To investigate these problems, we have analyzed the evolution of the Wnt ligand repertoire in the chordate phylum as a case study.ResultsWe conduct an exhaustive survey of Wnt genes in genomic databases, identifying 156 Wnt genes in 13 non-vertebrate chordates. This represents the most complete Wnt gene catalog of the chordate subphyla and has allowed us to resolve previous ambiguities about the orthology of many Wnt genes, including the identification of WntA for the first time in chordates. Moreover, we create the first complete expression atlas for the Wnt family during amphioxus development, providing a useful resource to investigate the evolution of Wnt expression throughout the radiation of chordates.ConclusionsOur data underscore extraordinary genomic stasis in cephalochordates, which contrasts with the liberal and dynamic evolutionary patterns of gene loss and duplication in urochordate genomes. Our analysis has allowed us to infer ancestral Wnt functions shared among all chordates, several cases of function shuffling among Wnt paralogs, as well as unique expression domains for Wnt genes that likely reflect functional innovations in each chordate lineage. Finally, we propose a potential relationship between the evolution of WntA and the evolution of the mouth in chordates.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13059-018-1468-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wnt evolution and function shuffling in liberal and conservative chordate genomes

et al. 2018

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“…Expression of Tgfβ-f in support/follicle cells surrounding the developing testes and oocytes may also indicate a role in the maturation of the gametes. Antibodies directed against phosphorylated Smad2 and Smad1/5/8 proteins react with Botryllus germ cells and oocytes, indicating that they are receiving a TGF-β pathway signal [ 31 , 61 ]. Future functional studies are needed to determine the role of TGF-β signaling and Tgfβ-f itself in Botryllus germ cell biology.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporally and spatially dynamic germ cell niches in Botryllus schlosseri revealed by expression of a TGF-beta family ligand and vasa

Langenbacher

Tomaso

2016

EvoDevo

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BackgroundGerm cells are specified during early development and are responsible for generating gametes in the adult. After germ cells are specified, they typically migrate to a particular niche in the organism where they reside for the remainder of its lifetime. For some model organisms, the specification and migration of germ cells have been extensively studied, but how these events occur in animals that reproduce both sexually and asexually is not well understood.ResultsWe have identified a novel TGF-β family member in Botryllus schlosseri, tgfβ-f, and found that it is expressed by follicle cell progenitors and the differentiated follicle and support cells surrounding the maturing gametes. Using the expression of tgfβ-f and the germ cell marker vasa, we have found that nearly all germ cells in Botryllus are associated with tgfβ-f-expressing follicle progenitors in clusters consisting solely of those two cell types. These clusters were mostly small, consisting of ten or fewer cells, and generally contained between a 2:1 and 1:1 ratio of follicle progenitors to germ cells. Clusters of germ and follicle progenitor cells were primarily localized to niches in the primary and secondary buds, but could also be found in other locations including the vasculature. We analyzed the location of germ cell clusters throughout the asexual life cycle of Botryllus and found that at the stage when germ cells are first detected in the secondary bud niche, a dramatic change in the size and location of germ/follicle cell clusters also occurred.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that germ/follicle cell clusters have predictable migratory patterns during the weekly asexual developmental cycle in Botryllus. An increased number of small clusters and the presence of clusters in the vasculature coinciding with the appearance of clusters in the secondary bud suggest that fragmentation of clusters and the migration of smaller clusters through the vasculature may be an important aspect of Botryllus reproductive biology, ensuring the transmission of the germline to subsequent asexual generations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13227-016-0047-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Several studies focused on gene expression characteristic to the WBR, yet many of these genes also play roles in other developmental processes of tunicates. For example, the identification of genes involved with both B. leachii WBR (Rinkevich et al 2007a), budding in P. misakiensis and blastogenesis in B. schlosseri (Oren et al 2007); B. Rinkevich, unpublished data) highlighted a large variety of genes from protein families such as serine and trypsin proteases, serine and trypsin inhibitors, coagulation factors, lectins, cathepsins and metalloendopeptidases as well as genes involved in signal transduction pathways (Rosner et al 2014). However, this wide panel of molecular functions suggests that most of these genes are not specific markers of WBR but are rather co-opted from other developmental processes.…”

Section: Genes Involved In Wbr Have Multiple Roles In Colonial Ascidianmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whole-Body Regeneration in the Colonial Tunicate Botrylloides leachii

Blanchoud

Rinkevich

Wilson

2018

Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation

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The colonial marine invertebrate Botrylloides leachii belongs to the Tunicata subphylum, the closest invertebrate relatives to the vertebrate group and the only known class of chordates that can undergo whole-body regeneration (WBR). This dramatic developmental process allows a minute isolated fragment of B. leachii's vascular system, or a colony excised of all adults, to restore a functional animal in as little as 10 days. In addition to this exceptional regenerative capacity, B. leachii can reproduce both sexually, through a tadpole larval stage, and asexually, through palleal budding. Thus, three alternative developmental strategies lead to the establishment of filter-feeding adults. Consequently, B. leachii is particularly well suited for comparative studies on regeneration and should provide novel insights into regenerative processes in chordates.Here, after a short introduction on regeneration, we overview the biology of B. leachii as well as the current state of knowledge on WBR in this species and in related species of tunicates. Finally, we highlight the possible future directions that research might take in the study of WBR, including thoughts on technological approaches that appear most promising in this context. Overall, we provide a synthesis of the current knowledge on WBR in B. leachii to support research in this chordate species.

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The involvement of three signal transduction pathways in botryllid ascidian astogeny, as revealed by expression patterns of representative genes

Cited by 15 publications

References 66 publications

Wnt evolution and function shuffling in liberal and conservative chordate genomes

Wnt evolution and function shuffling in liberal and conservative chordate genomes

Temporally and spatially dynamic germ cell niches in Botryllus schlosseri revealed by expression of a TGF-beta family ligand and vasa

Whole-Body Regeneration in the Colonial Tunicate Botrylloides leachii

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