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
Developmental Biology
Majed Layous, Lama Khalaily, Tsvia Gildor, Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon
Summary: The tolerance to hypoxic conditions changes between different developmental stages of sea urchin embryos, possibly due to the structure of gene regulatory networks. Hypoxia applied during early development strongly affects the activity of certain pathways, while pathways are largely unaffected by hypoxia applied after DV-axis formation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
J. I. Bertucci, A. Juez, J. Bellas
Summary: The combined effects of ocean acidification and microplastic pollution on the early development of Paracentrotus lividus were studied. The results showed that both ocean acidification and microplastics can alter the growth and morphology of the embryo, with observed differences in morphology related to decreased width of larvae. The changes in larvae shape could affect their buoyancy and ability to obtain and ingest food.
Article
Biology
Tiziana Masullo, Girolama Biondo, Marilena Di Natale, Marcello Tagliavia, Carmelo Daniele Bennici, Marianna Musco, Maria Antonietta Ragusa, Salvatore Costa, Angela Cuttitta, Aldo Nicosia
Summary: Exposure to environmental stressors during gametogenesis in parental generation may lead to developmental fate changes and regulatory network alterations in offspring, as demonstrated in sea urchin embryos. Results suggest that exposure to pollutants can impact not only directly exposed animals, but also their progeny, affecting genetic programming and developmental success.
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Kristina Tarsis, Tsvia Gildor, Miri Morgulis, Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon
Summary: The study reveals the dynamic expression of skeletogenic regulatory genes that define a specific regulatory state for each pair of skeletal rods in the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling is essential for skeleton formation, specifically controlling the migration of cells that form specific skeletal rods. VEGF signaling also regulates the expression of regulatory genes in cells at the tips of certain skeletal rods.
DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS
(2022)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Jennifer Nichols, Ana Lima, Tristan A. Rodriguez
Summary: Mammalian embryos have remarkable plasticity, capable of correcting aberrant cells, adjusting growth, and integrating cells from different species to ensure normal development.
Article
Fisheries
Lili Xing, Lingyu Wang, Femke Roos, Michelle Lee, Gregory A. Wray
Summary: Sea urchins are important mariculture species and model organisms in developmental biology. Cis-regulatory elements control development and physiology by regulating gene expression. Mutations affecting these sequences contribute to phenotypic diversity. Cis-regulatory targets offer new breeding potential for the future.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jian Ming Khor, Jennifer Guerrero-Santoro, William Douglas, Charles A. Ettensohn
Summary: In this study, CAGE-seq was used to profile eRNA expression and enhancer activity in the sea urchin model, revealing a large number of enhancers active at different stages of embryogenesis. The majority of sea urchin enhancers were found to be associated with nearby genes and exhibited temporal patterns of expression similar to those genes. Furthermore, enhancers near lineage-specific genes showed signatures of inputs from developmental gene regulatory networks in those lineages. Moreover, a significant portion of identified enhancers were shown to drive tissue-specific gene expression on their own in reporter assays.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Periklis Paganos, Clemens Vinzenz Ullmann, Daniela Gaglio, Marcella Bonanomi, Noemi Salmistraro, Maria Ina Arnone, Eva Jimenez-Guri
Summary: Microplastics pollution is a serious problem in all seas, and the effects of plastic leachates on the embryonic development of marine animals are poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the developmental effects of plastic leachates on sea urchins and found severe and specific abnormalities, including radialization and malformation of various cells. Our findings suggest that the high concentrations of zinc in plastic leachates are the likely cause of these defects and highlight the detrimental effects of marine plastic pollution on echinoderm development.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Stefano Tacconi, Simone Augello, Francesca Persano, Carolina Sbarigia, Elisabetta Carata, Stefano Leporatti, Marco Fidaleo, Luciana Dini
Summary: This study evaluated the potential harmful effects of amino-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles (NH2-MSiNPs) on embryonic development using the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus as a model. The results showed that NH2-MSiNPs significantly reduced egg fertilization rate, caused morphological abnormalities and reduced mitochondrial function and skeletogenesis. These findings suggest that NH2-MSiNPs have potential toxic effects on the marine ecosystem.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yufeng Xu, Wenqian Shang, Linda Li, Yinglong Song, Guiqing Wang, Liyun Shi, Yuxiao Shen, Yuke Sun, Songlin He, Zheng Wang
Summary: Transcriptome sequencing was conducted to investigate gene expression profiling in Paeonia ostii during embryo development. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to transcription factors, plant hormones, and antioxidant enzymes were identified. The study found that IAA, GA, BR, and ETH were beneficial to early embryonic morphogenesis, while CTK and ABA promoted embryo morphogenesis and maturation. The results provided new insights into the formation of embryo development and even somatic embryo development in tree peonies.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Natalia Abramenko, Marina Semenova, Alexander Khina, Pavel Zherebin, Yurii Krutyakov, Evgeny Krysanov, Leonid Kustov
Summary: Surface modification of nanoparticles with different stabilizers is commonly used to enhance their stability and applicability. Silver nanoparticle dispersions with biologically active stabilizers show potential as plant protection products, improving crop growth, yield, and protection. However, these stabilizers exhibit toxic effects on sea urchin embryos, with silver ions being more toxic than the nanoparticles themselves.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura DeMiguel-Jimenez, Nestor Etxebarria, Helena C. Reinardy, Xabier Lekube, Ionan Marigomez, Urtzi Izagirre
Summary: The study utilized sea-urchin embryos as test-organisms and applied a multi-index approach to investigate the toxic effects of different oils in the environment. The findings suggest that under ice weathering resulted in lowered waterborne PAHs and genotoxicity but augmented embryo toxicity.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura DeMiguel-Jimenez, Dennis Bilbao, Ailette Prieto, Helena C. Reinardy, Xabier Lekube, Urtzi Izagirre, Ionan Marigomez
Summary: This investigation examines the influence of temperature on oil toxicity, both alone and in combination with dispersants (D). The toxicity of low-energy water accommodated fractions (LEWAF) of three oils (NNA crude oil, marine gas oil -MGO-, and IFO 180 fuel oil) produced at temperatures ranging from 5 to 25 degrees Celsius was assessed by measuring larval lengthening, abnormalities, developmental disruption, and genotoxicity in sea urchin embryos. The levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were similar among LEWAFs but the PAH profiles varied with the type of oil and production temperature. The presence of dispersants increased genotoxicity, which varied depending on the LEWAF production temperature of each oil. Impaired lengthening, abnormalities, and developmental disruption were observed, with the severity of these effects depending on the type of oil, dispersant application, and LEWAF production temperature. Toxicity, partly associated with individual PAHs, was higher at lower LEWAF production temperatures.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
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)