The Indigenous Qatari Marine Copepod, Euterpina Acutifrons: A Promising Marine Invertebrate Model Organism for Aquatic Eco-Toxicological Studies

Invertebrates represent about 95% of existing species, and most of them belong to aquatic ecosystems. Marine invertebrates are found at intermediate levels of the food chain and, therefore, they play a central role in the biodiversity of ecosystems. Furthermore, these organisms have a short life cycle, easy laboratory manipulation, and high sensitivity to marine pollution and, therefore, they are considered to be optimal bioindicators for assessing detrimental chemical agents that are related to the marine environment and with potential toxicity to human health, including neurotoxicity. In general, albeit simple, the nervous system of marine invertebrates is composed of neuronal and glial cells, and it exhibits biochemical and functional similarities with the vertebrate nervous system, including humans. In recent decades, new genetic and transcriptomic technologies have made the identification of many neural genes and transcription factors homologous to those in humans possible. Neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and altered levels of neurotransmitters are some of the aspects of neurotoxic effects that can also occur in marine invertebrate organisms. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of major marine pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, and micro and nano-plastics, with a focus on their neurotoxic effects in marine invertebrate organisms. This review could be a stimulus to bio-research towards the use of invertebrate model systems other than traditional, ethically questionable, time-consuming, and highly expensive mammalian models.

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Benefits of Using the Invertebrate Model Organism C. Elegans in an Inquiry-Based Laboratory Activity

Teaching of Psychology ◽

10.1177/00986283211029649 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 009862832110296

Author(s):

Angy J. Kallarackal

Keyword(s):

American Psychological Association ◽

Model Organism ◽

Learning Goals ◽

Research Skills ◽

Final Exam ◽

Laboratory Activity ◽

Writing Ability ◽

C Elegans ◽

Invertebrate Model ◽

Laboratory Experiences

Background: The goals of laboratory experiences include developing knowledge base, research skills, and scientific communication abilities. Objective: The aim was to assess an inquiry-based laboratory activity using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans in relation to learning goals. Method: Students in a Biopsychology laboratory course worked in groups to test the effect of various drugs (e.g., nicotine, ethanol, fluoxetine, and melatonin) on C. elegans behavior. The activity included literature review, experimental design, and a final lab report. A cumulative final exam included a synaptic communication question related to the content of the activity. Results: Students showed better retention of laboratory-related content compared to other topics from the course, as demonstrated through performance on the final exam and were able to replicate previous research demonstrating effects of drug on locomotion. However, students did not improve writing ability compared to performance on a previous American Psychological Association style lab report. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that using a student-designed, multi-week laboratory assignment in an undergraduate Biopsychology course supports the growth of psychology knowledge and the development of research skills. Teaching Implications: Instructors should consider using the described laboratory activity for biopsychology or behavioral neuroscience classes or consider similarly designed laboratory formats for other courses in Psychology.

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Hematopoiesis toxicity induced by CdTe quantum dots determined in an invertebrate model organism

Biomaterials ◽

10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.12.007 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 35 (9) ◽

pp. 2942-2951 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Teng Liu ◽

Rui Xing ◽

Yan-Feng Zhou ◽

Jue Zhang ◽

Yuan-Yuan Su ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quantum Dots ◽

Model Organism ◽

Cdte Quantum Dots ◽

Invertebrate Model

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Impacts of dietary exposure to sodium or potassium salts of nitrate and nitrite on the development of Drosophila melanogaster

Interdisciplinary Toxicology ◽

10.1515/intox-2017-0012 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 70-78 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ashim Kumar Basak ◽

Tridip Chatterjee ◽

Swapan Kumar Ghosh ◽

Amit Chakravarty

Keyword(s):

Young Adults ◽

Food Additives ◽

Polytene Chromosomes ◽

Model Organism ◽

Developmental Outcomes ◽

Dietary Exposure ◽

Potassium Nitrate ◽

Toxicological Studies ◽

Nitrate And Nitrite ◽

Third Instar Larvae

AbstractThe effects of four food additives, namely sodium nitrite (NaNO2), sodium nitrate (NaNO3), potassium nitrite (KNO2), and potassium nitrate (KNO3), on animal development were evaluated by using Drosophila melanogster, a model organism. Adult male and female flies were allowed to breed in culture medium, each containing one of 4 concentrations,i.e.10, 20, 30 or 40 mM of the above mentioned salts. The concentration of 40 mM, NaNO2and KNO2 completely arrested the development of the flies. Of the different concentrations of the four salts tested, exposure of flies to 30 mM NaNO2exhibited only significant delays in the initial appearances of third instar larvae, pupae and young adults, along with huge reduction in the number of pupae and young adults compared to controls. Rearrangements like inversions, deletion looping, regional shrinking, as well as highly enlarged puffing,etc.were also observed in the polytene chromosomes of the third instar larvae exposed to 30 mM NaNO2. Developmental outcomes of the flies exposed to varying concentrations of NaNO3and KNO3 did not differ significantly from the controls. Owing to the extensive genetic homology between Drosophila and human and the successful uses of this fly as models in developmental and toxicological studies, we speculate that the experimental results exhibited by this organism in our study strongly advocate for abstaining from the dietary use of NaNO2and KNO2 during human pregnancies to avoid possible negative developmental outcomes.

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Embryonic chimerism does not induce tolerance in an invertebrate model organism

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.0608696104 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 104 (11) ◽

pp. 4559-4564 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

M. Poudyal ◽

S. Rosa ◽

A. E. Powell ◽

M. Moreno ◽

S. L. Dellaporta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Model Organism ◽

Invertebrate Model

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Unprecedented Diversity of ssDNA Phages from the Family Microviridae Detected within the Gut of a Protochordate Model Organism (Ciona robusta)

Viruses ◽

10.3390/v10080404 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 404 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Alexandria Creasy ◽

Karyna Rosario ◽

Brittany Leigh ◽

Larry Dishaw ◽

Mya Breitbart

Keyword(s):

Marine Invertebrate ◽

Animal Health ◽

Relative Proportion ◽

Model Organism ◽

Model System ◽

Microbial Interactions ◽

Phylogenetic Groups ◽

Surrounding Water ◽

The Family ◽

Dsdna Viruses

Phages (viruses that infect bacteria) play important roles in the gut ecosystem through infection of bacterial hosts, yet the gut virome remains poorly characterized. Mammalian gut viromes are dominated by double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) phages belonging to the order Caudovirales and single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) phages belonging to the family Microviridae. Since the relative proportion of each of these phage groups appears to correlate with age and health status in humans, it is critical to understand both ssDNA and dsDNA phages in the gut. Building upon prior research describing dsDNA viruses in the gut of Ciona robusta, a marine invertebrate model system used to study gut microbial interactions, this study investigated ssDNA phages found in the Ciona gut. We identified 258 Microviridae genomes, which were dominated by novel members of the Gokushovirinae subfamily, but also represented several proposed phylogenetic groups (Alpavirinae, Aravirinae, Group D, Parabacteroides prophages, and Pequeñovirus) and a novel group. Comparative analyses between Ciona specimens with full and cleared guts, as well as the surrounding water, indicated that Ciona retains a distinct and highly diverse community of ssDNA phages. This study significantly expands the known diversity within the Microviridae family and demonstrates the promise of Ciona as a model system for investigating their role in animal health.

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