scholarly journals Nervous systems of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis are generated by ectoderm and endoderm and shaped by distinct mechanisms

Development ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 139 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Nakanishi ◽  
E. Renfer ◽  
U. Technau ◽  
F. Rentzsch
Keyword(s):  
Sea Anemone ◽  
Nematostella Vectensis ◽  
Nervous Systems

scholarly journals Cytoskeletal and synaptic polarity of LWamide-like+ ganglion neurons in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

2020 ◽  
Vol 223 (21) ◽  
pp. jeb233197
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Stone ◽  
Gregory O. Kothe ◽  
Melissa M. Rolls ◽  
Timothy Jegla
Keyword(s):  
Ganglion Cells ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Sea Anemone ◽  
The Body ◽  
Synaptic Proteins ◽  
Nematostella Vectensis ◽  
Nervous Systems ◽  
Microtubule Polarity ◽  
Sister Clade ◽  
Ganglion Neurons

ABSTRACTThe centralized nervous systems of bilaterian animals rely on directional signaling facilitated by polarized neurons with specialized axons and dendrites. It is not known whether axo-dendritic polarity is exclusive to bilaterians or was already present in early metazoans. We therefore examined neurite polarity in the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Cnidaria). Cnidarians form a sister clade to bilaterians and share many neuronal building blocks characteristic of bilaterians, including channels, receptors and synaptic proteins, but their nervous systems comprise a comparatively simple net distributed throughout the body. We developed a tool kit of fluorescent polarity markers for live imaging analysis of polarity in an identified neuron type, large ganglion cells of the body column nerve net that express the LWamide-like neuropeptide. Microtubule polarity differs in bilaterian axons and dendrites, and this in part underlies polarized distribution of cargo to the two types of processes. However, in LWamide-like+ neurons, all neurites had axon-like microtubule polarity suggesting that they may have similar contents. Indeed, presynaptic and postsynaptic markers trafficked to all neurites and accumulated at varicosities where neurites from different neurons often crossed, suggesting the presence of bidirectional synaptic contacts. Furthermore, we could not identify a diffusion barrier in the plasma membrane of any of the neurites like the axon initial segment barrier that separates the axonal and somatodendritic compartments in bilaterian neurons. We conclude that at least one type of neuron in Nematostella vectensis lacks the axo-dendritic polarity characteristic of bilaterian neurons.

scholarly journals Microinjection of mRNA or morpholinos for reverse genetic analysis in the starlet sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 924-934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Layden ◽  
Eric Röttinger ◽  
Francis S Wolenski ◽  
Thomas D Gilmore ◽  
Mark Q Martindale
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Analysis ◽  
Sea Anemone ◽  
Nematostella Vectensis ◽  
Reverse Genetic

Starlet Sea Anemone (Nematostella vectensis) 2021 Environmental Summary, Reptile & Aquatics, Stowers Institute for Medical Research v1

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane C. Miller ◽  
Diana P Baumann ◽  
M. Shane Merryman
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Medical Research ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Sea Anemone ◽  
Nematostella Vectensis ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Impact Research

The starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) is an emerging model organism, and we have maintained a colony at the Stowers Institute since 2007. Nematostella are known as a simple sea anemone, related to other cnidarians such as jellyfish and corals. Native to estuarine environments across the Atlantic coast of North America, from Novia Scotia to Florida, they encounter a variety of environmental conditions (e.g., temperature, salinity). Acknowledging that husbandry conditions and environmental parameters can impact research results we provide information about the housing, nutrition, maintenance, and health for our colony of Nematostella. This information will be applicable to any Nematostella housed in the facility in 2021.

scholarly journals Development and epithelial organisation of muscle cells in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan M Jahnel ◽  
Manfred Walzl ◽  
Ulrich Technau
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Sea Anemone ◽  
Nematostella Vectensis

scholarly journals Germ-layer commitment and axis formation in sea anemone embryonic cell aggregates

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (8) ◽  
pp. 1813-1818 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anastasia Kirillova ◽  
Grigory Genikhovich ◽  
Ekaterina Pukhlyakova ◽  
Adrien Demilly ◽  
Yulia Kraus ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Normal Development ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Embryonic Cell ◽  
Sea Anemone ◽  
Developmental Trajectory ◽  
Nematostella Vectensis ◽  
Axis Formation ◽  
Cell Aggregates ◽  
Embryonic Cells ◽  
Developmental Context

Robust morphogenetic events are pivotal for animal embryogenesis. However, comparison of the modes of development of different members of a phylum suggests that the spectrum of developmental trajectories accessible for a species might be far broader than can be concluded from the observation of normal development. Here, by using a combination of microsurgery and transgenic reporter gene expression, we show that, facing a new developmental context, the aggregates of dissociated embryonic cells of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis take an alternative developmental trajectory. The self-organizing aggregates rely on Wnt signals produced by the cells of the original blastopore lip organizer to form body axes but employ morphogenetic events typical for normal development of distantly related cnidarians to re-establish the germ layers. The reaggregated cells show enormous plasticity including the capacity of the ectodermal cells to convert into endoderm. Our results suggest that new developmental trajectories may evolve relatively easily when highly plastic embryonic cells face new constraints.

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