Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology
Recent Submissions
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Loss of activation by GABA in vertebrate delta ionotropic glutamate receptors
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2024)Ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) mediate excitatory signals between cells by binding neurotransmitters and conducting cations across the cell membrane. In the mammalian brain, most of these signals are mediated by ... -
Syncytial nerve net in a ctenophore adds insights on the evolution of nervous systems
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)A fundamental breakthrough in neurobiology has been the formulation of the neuron doctrine by Santiago Ramón y Cajal, which stated that the nervous system is composed of discrete cells. Electron microscopy later confirmed ... -
Recombinant Analogs of Sea Anemone Kunitz-Type Peptides Influence P2X7 Receptor Activity in Neuro-2a Cells
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)Purinergic P2X7 receptors (P2X7) have now been proven to play an important role and represent an important therapeutic target in many pathological conditions including neurodegeneration. Here, we investigated the impact ... -
Muscle cell-type diversification is driven by bHLH transcription factor expansion and extensive effector gene duplications
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)Animals are typically composed of hundreds of different cell types, yet mechanisms underlying the emergence of new cell types remain unclear. Here we address the origin and diversification of muscle cells in the non-bilaterian, ... -
Neuronal gene expression in two generations of the marine parasitic worm, Cryptocotyle lingua
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)Trematodes, or flukes, undergo intricate anatomical and behavioral transformations during their life cycle, yet the functional changes in their nervous system remain poorly understood. We investigated the molecular basis ... -
NvPrdm14d-expressing neural progenitor cells contribute to non-ectodermal neurogenesis in Nematostella vectensis
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)Neurogenesis has been studied extensively in the ectoderm, from which most animals generate the majority of their neurons. Neurogenesis from non-ectodermal tissue is, in contrast, poorly understood. Here we use the cnidarian ... -
A miniaturized nigrostriatal-like circuit regulating locomotor performance in a protochordate
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)To gain insight into the evolution of motor control systems at the origin of vertebrates, we have investigated higher-order motor circuitry in the protochordate Oikopleura dioica. We have identified a highly miniaturized ... -
A deep learning method for replicate-based analysis of chromosome conformation contacts using Siamese neural networks
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)The organisation of the genome in nuclear space is an important frontier of biology. Chromosome conformation capture methods such as Hi-C and Micro-C produce genome-wide chromatin contact maps that provide rich data ... -
Ciona spp. and ascidians as bioindicator organisms for evaluating effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals: A discussion paper
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)In context of testing, screening and monitoring of endocrine-disrupting (ED) type of environmental pollutants, tunicates could possibly represent a particularly interesting group of bioindicator organisms. These primitive ... -
Cnidofest 2022: hot topics in cnidarian research
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023-08-24)The second annual Cnidarian Model Systems Meeting, aka “Cnidofest”, took place in Davis, California from 7 to 10th of September, 2022. The meeting brought together scientists using cnidarians to study molecular and cellular ... -
The localization of Toll and Imd pathway and complement system components and their response to Vibrio infection in the nemertean Lineus ruber
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023)Background Innate immunity is the first line of defense against pathogens. In animals, the Toll pathway, the Imd pathway, the complement system, and lectins are well-known mechanisms involved in innate immunity. Although ... -
Ring Finger 149-Related Is an FGF/MAPK-Independent Regulator of Pharyngeal Muscle Fate Specification
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2023-05-16)During embryonic development, cell-fate specification gives rise to dedicated lineages that underlie tissue formation. In olfactores, which comprise tunicates and vertebrates, the cardiopharyngeal field is formed by ... -
AJAM-A–tetraspanin–αvβ5 integrin complex regulates contact inhibition of locomotion
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL) is a process that regulates cell motility upon collision with other cells. Improper regulation of CIL has been implicated in cancer cell dissemination. Here, we identify the cell ... -
Evolutionarily conserved aspects of animal nutrient uptake and transport in sea anemone vitellogenesis
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)The emergence of systemic nutrient transport was a key challenge during animal evolution, yet it is poorly understood. Circulatory systems distribute nutrients in many bilaterians (e.g., vertebrates and arthropods) but are ... -
A cellular and molecular analysis of SoxB-driven neurogenesis in a cnidarian
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Neurogenesis is the generation of neurons from stem cells, a process that is regulated by SoxB transcription factors (TFs) in many animals. Although the roles of these TFs are well understood in bilaterians, how their ... -
Laboratory study of Fritillaria lifecycle reveals key morphogenetic events leading to genus-specific anatomy
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)A fascinating variety of adult body plans can be found in the Tunicates, the closest existing relatives of vertebrates. A distinctive feature of the larvacean class of pelagic tunicates is the presence of a highly specialized ... -
The premetazoan ancestry of the synaptic toolkit and appearance of first neurons
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Neurons, especially when coupled with muscles, allow animals to interact with and navigate through their environment in ways unique to life on earth. Found in all major animal lineages except sponges and placozoans, nervous ... -
Chromatin jets define the properties of cohesin-driven in vivo loop extrusion
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Complex genomes show intricate organization in three-dimensional (3D) nuclear space. Current models posit that cohesin extrudes loops to form self-interacting domains delimited by the DNA binding protein CTCF. Here, we ... -
Molecular mechanisms governing development of the hindbrain choroid plexus and auditory projection: A validation of the seminal observations of Wilhelm His
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Studies by His from 1868 to 1904 delineated the critical role of the dorsal roof plate in the development of the hindbrain choroid plexus, and of the rhombic lips in the development of hindbrain auditory centers. Modern ... -
A developmental role for the chromatin-regulating CoREST complex in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis
(Journal article; Peer reviewed, 2022)Background Chromatin-modifying proteins are key players in the regulation of development and cell differentiation in animals. Most chromatin modifiers, however, predate the evolution of animal multicellularity, and how ...