Article
Environmental Sciences
Flora Rendell-Bhatti, Periklis Paganos, Anna Pouch, Christopher Mitchell, Salvatore D'Aniello, Brendan J. Godley, Ksenia Pazdro, Maria Ina Arnone, Eva Jimenez-Guri
Summary: The study found that chemicals leached from plastic particles have severe impacts on the development of marine organisms, leading to developmental abnormalities. These findings suggest that microplastic pollution may have unknown negative effects on ecosystems.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Abdull J. Massri, Laura Greenstreet, Anton Afanassiev, Alejandro Berrio, Gregory A. Wray, Geoffrey Schiebinger, David R. McClay
Summary: By using scRNA-seq and computational methods, researchers studied the transcriptional changes in cell states of sea urchin embryos from development to larval stage. They found that skeletogenic and primordial germ cell trajectories diverged early, and ectodermal progenitors were distinct from other lineages by the 6th cleavage. Endomesoderm cells originated at the 6th cleavage and diverged into endoderm and mesoderm fates asynchronously.
Article
Neurosciences
Laurent Formery, Francois Orange, Antoine Formery, Shunsuke Yaguchi, Christopher J. Lowe, Michael Schubert, Jenifer C. Croce
Summary: The study investigated the neural anatomy of early juveniles of three echinoderm classes, revealing common neural structures such as basiepidermal nerve plexus, radial nerve cords, and peripheral nerves. The results supported the existence of two neural units in echinoderms and laid the foundation for more comprehensive comparisons with other animals to address controversies about deuterostome nervous system evolution.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Toxicology
Michael D. Collins, Elvis Han Cui, Seung Won Hyun, Weng Kee Wong
Summary: The primary aim of this paper is to propose a more quantitative approach to design dose-response experiments, specifically concentration-response experiments. By using a model-based optimal design, more accurate statistical inference can be obtained for the underlying parameters of interest. The study demonstrates the efficiency gains of using a carefully selected model-based optimal design compared to an ad-hoc empirical design.
ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Nahomie Rodriguez-Sastre, Nicholas Shapiro, Dakota Y. Hawkins, Alexandra T. Lion, Monique Peyreau, Andrea E. Correa, Kristin Dionne, Cynthia A. Bradham
Summary: Ethanol exposure in sea urchin embryos leads to skeletal patterning defects similar to those seen in fetal alcohol syndrome. However, the role of RA biosynthesis and Hh signaling pathways, which are thought to underlie FAS phenotype, is not relevant in sea urchins. Ethanol exposure affects gene expression and disrupts the temporal synchrony between instructive and responsive tissues.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Carola Murano, Elisa Bergami, Giulia Liberatori, Anna Palumbo, Ilaria Corsi
Summary: This study reveals the interaction between model nanoplastics and coelomocytes of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, showing that PS-COOH can be quickly internalized and eliminated by coelomocytes, but may still trigger an immune response upon long-term exposure scenarios. The surface charges of nanoplastics play an important role in triggering immunotoxicity, which could exceed toxicity-thresholds for marine benthic species in Mediterranean coastal sediments.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alfonsina Milito, Maria Cocurullo, Alfredo Columbro, Simona Nonnis, Gabriella Tedeschi, Immacolata Castellano, Maria Ina Arnone, Anna Palumbo
Summary: This study investigates the biological relevance of ovothiol during sea urchin embryogenesis and the inflammatory response. It suggests that ovothiol may regulate cell proliferation in early developing embryos and play a key role in larval skeleton formation and inflammatory processes triggered by bacterial infection.
Review
Engineering, Marine
Davide Asnicar, Maria Gabriella Marin
Summary: The continuous release of CO2 into the atmosphere is causing the seawater to become more acidic, posing a threat to marine organisms such as echinoids. This review collected and summarized 50 articles on the effects of seawater acidification on adult echinoids, revealing that pH reduction can lead to various and subtle changes in calcification, physiology, behavior, and reproduction. More than 43% of the endpoints studied were altered by low pH conditions compared to control conditions. However, animals exposed in long-term experiments or residing in CO2-vent systems showed the ability to adapt. Furthermore, differences among species may be explained by the latitudinal range of their distribution. Therefore, future experiments should consider local variability, long-term exposure, and multigenerational approaches to better understand the effects of ocean acidification on echinoids.
JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xuanbo Wang, Xishan Li, Deqi Xiong, Hang Ren, Huishu Chen, Zhonglei Ju
Summary: Heavy fuel oil (HFO) spills can cause long-term and significant damage to the marine environment and the reproductive functions of sea urchins, resulting in developmental toxicity effects on their offspring.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gary M. Wessel, Yuuko Wada, Mamiko Yajima, Masato Kiyomoto
Summary: The study found that Bindin plays a critical role in fertilization in sea urchins, but its function had never been tested. Through gene editing technology, it was successfully demonstrated that Bindin is essential for the binding of sperm and egg cell surfaces.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Cesar Arenas-Mena, Sofija Miljovska, Edward J. Rice, Justin Gurges, Tanvi Shashikant, Zihe Wang, Sevinc Ercan, Charles G. Danko
Summary: Chromatin accessibility and transcription have substantial power for predicting enhancer activity in sea urchin embryos, with the distribution of Pol II being the best predictor for enhancer activity, especially for promoter-overlapping cis-regulatory elements. Additionally, the predictive value of ATAC-seq and PRO-seq is stage-dependent in the promoter-overlapping subset.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Olmo Miguez-Salas, Michael F. Vardaro, Francisco J. Rodriguez-Tovar, Juan A. Perez-Claros, Christine L. Huffard
Summary: The movement patterns of deep-sea bioturbational fauna, particularly echinoids, were examined through fractal analysis. The results showed low fractal values and no correlation between organic carbon flux and fractal dimension values. The movement of echinoids was characterized by high-speed and slow-speed periods, with slower periods associated with higher sinuosity values and more cross-cuts. The study suggests that the small-scale distribution of seafloor phytodetritus may be the primary determinant of echinoid feeding movement patterns.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Fisheries
L. Courtney Smith, Ryley S. Crow, Nicola Franchi, Catherine S. Schrankel
Summary: The vertebrate complement cascade is a crucial host defense system that plays a vital role in the interaction between adaptive and innate immunity. Initially believed to be present only in vertebrates, complement was thought to be activated by antibodies and functioned alongside adaptive immunity. However, the discovery of a key component, SpC3, in sea urchins and other invertebrates has greatly expanded our understanding of complement functions.
DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ines Ventura, Victoria Harman, Robert J. Beynon, Romana Santos
Summary: Biomedical adhesives still struggle with strong adhesion in wet environments. Marine invertebrates' biological adhesives show promising characteristics for underwater biomimetic adhesives. Through analysis of sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus adhesive proteins, researchers identified glycosylated protein candidates. The deeper characterization of these adhesive glycoproteins advances the development of sea urchin-inspired bioadhesives.
Article
Biology
Nicolas Mongiardino Koch, Jeffrey R. Thompson, Avery S. Hiley, Marina F. McCowin, A. Frances Armstrong, Simon E. Coppard, Felipe Aguilera, Omri Bronstein, Andreas Kroh, Rich Mooi, Greg W. Rouse
Summary: Echinoids, including sand dollars, are crucial components of modern marine ecosystems. However, their early history and the origin of sand dollars have remained uncertain. In this study, we generated genomic data from 18 species of echinoids and used them to reconstruct the phylogeny and divergence times of echinoids. We also introduced a new concept called chronospace to explore different methodological decisions in calibrating phylogenies. Our results revealed that crown group echinoids originated in the Permian and diversified rapidly in the Triassic. We also clarified the relationships between sand dollars and their relatives and confidently dated their origin to the Cretaceous.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shumpei Yamakawa, Yoshiaki Morino, Hisanori Kohtsuka, Hiroshi Wada
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Hiromasa Yokoyama, Miho Yoshimura, Daichi G. Suzuki, Hiroki Higashiyama, Hiroshi Wada
Summary: The vertebrate jaw is believed to have evolved through modification of the mandibular arch. The lamprey, a jawless vertebrate, has a structure called velum derived from the mandibular arch. The velum's contribution to jaw evolution may involve distinct development pathways from oral muscles and neural crest cell origins.
DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Kohei Tokanai, Yasuhiro Kamei, Takuya Minokawa
Summary: This study developed a simple and rapid protocol for conducting a three-dimensional analysis of the internal structures of echinoderm larvae and juveniles. It used a combination of Nile blue staining and BABB clearing to overcome the limitations of conventional microscopes.
DEVELOPMENT GROWTH & DIFFERENTIATION
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Atsuko Yamazaki, Shumpei Yamakawa, Yoshiaki Morino, Yasunori Sasakura, Hiroshi Wada
Summary: The study explored the gene expression patterns and regulatory mechanisms of adult skeletogenesis in the starfish, revealing the activation of skeletogenic regulatory genes through the feeding-nutrient sensing pathway and Vegf signaling. Compared to sea urchins, the skeletogenesis of starfish may involve changes in the upstream regulatory system, resulting in alterations to the skeletal development mechanism.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Supanat Phuangphong, Jumpei Tsunoda, Hiroshi Wada, Yoshiaki Morino
Summary: The study identified 13 SPILE genes in the purplish bifurcate mussel and found that their expression patterns differed from those in limpets, suggesting that the expansion of SPILE genes in bivalves contributed to the evolution of a unique cell fate specification pattern.
Article
Cell Biology
Yoshiaki Morino
Summary: Homeobox genes play important roles in early development of animals, but SPILE genes show variations in different animal species. This study analyzed genomic data and RNA-seq data of mollusk species and found that SPILE genes have specific roles in early development and have undergone duplications and losses during evolution.
DEVELOPMENT GROWTH & DIFFERENTIATION
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Shumpei Yamakawa, Yoshiki Hayashi, Koichiro Kako, Yasunori Sasakura, Yoshiaki Morino, Hiroshi Wada
Summary: The evolution of the biphasic life cycle in marine invertebrates has drawn significant interest in the field of zoology. Recent research has shown that retinoic acid (RA) plays a crucial role in the regulation of metamorphosis in starfish and jellyfish. This study investigates the molecular mechanisms involved in the initiation of metamorphosis in starfish, revealing the importance of RA synthesis and activation of RA receptor (RAR).
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Hirofumi Kariyayama, Natalia Gogoleva, Keishi Harada, Hiromasa Yokoyama, Hiroki Ono, Daichi G. Suzuki, Yuji Yamazaki, Hiroshi Wada
Summary: The developmental process of lamprey vertebra is different from that of gnathostomes, suggesting that the homology of vertebrae between agnathans and gnathostomes should be carefully discussed.
DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS
(2023)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Babita Deep Srivastava, Manish Srivastava, Sunil Kumar Srivastav, Makoto Urata, Nobuo Suzuki, Ajai Kumar Srivastav
Summary: This study investigated the effects of MCLR on calcitonin cells and parathyroid glands in rats, showing that MCLR exposure can lead to changes in these cells. However, extracts from orange peel and jamun seeds were able to provide protection against these effects.
MICROSCOPY RESEARCH AND TECHNIQUE
(2021)
