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Molecular Reproduction & Development Volume 81, Issue 11, November 2014 cover image
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
molecular reproduction and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.745
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1098-2795
pISSN - 1040-452X
DOI - 10.1002/mrd.22253
Subject(s) - biology , chordate , tunicate , germline , reproduction , somatic cell , sucker , microbiology and biotechnology , anatomy , evolutionary biology , genetics , vertebrate , gene , ecology
The star tunicate Botryllus schlosseri is an invertebrate chordate that has the ability to regenerate entire bodies, including all somatic tissues and the germ line, during repetitive cycles of asexual reproduction that occur each week. Botryllus is an excellent model system to characterize long‐lived germ‐line stem cells, which mobilize via circulatory system and migrate to new germ‐line niches as the colonies develop. The brightfield image from Rodriguez et al. (this issue) shows a colony with seven individuals interconnected by an extracorporeal vasculature and embedded in a cellulose‐derived tunic .