Premium
Investigation of Wnt Pathway Genes in a Highly Regenerative Marine Invertebrate
Author(s) -
Hughes Jun-Wei Brendan,
Ward Vivienne,
Jamison Cameron Ann,
Johnson Christine,
Sumner Jack Thomas,
Keeling Elena
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.09650
Subject(s) - wnt signaling pathway , biology , regeneration (biology) , genome , gene , effector , invertebrate , evolutionary biology , microbiology and biotechnology , computational biology , genetics , ecology
Colonial ascidians are the closest known relatives to vertebrates that retain whole body regeneration. Understanding molecular pathways involved in regeneration in a diverse range of organisms will provide insights into evolutionary changes in regeneration. Specifically, our research explores Wnt signaling in the colonial ascidian Botrylloides violaceus ; this highly conserved pathway is universally involved in studied animals with any regenerative ability. A recent rough draft genome for B. violaceus reveals multiple putative ligands, receptors, and downstream effectors from the Wnt pathway. Primers designed from the draft genome are being used in PCR to validate these predicted genes. Future studies will use qPCR to track gene expression of different Wnt pathway members through regeneration. Support or Funding Information The Frost Fund, College of Science and Mathematics at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo