scholarly journals CRISPR knockouts reveal an endogenous role for ancient neuropeptides in regulating developmental timing in a sea anemone

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nagayasu Nakanishi ◽  
Mark Q Martindale

Neuropeptides are evolutionarily ancient peptide hormones of the nervous and neuroendocrine systems, and are thought to have regulated metamorphosis in early animal ancestors. In particular, the deeply conserved Wamide family of neuropeptides—shared across Bilateria (e.g. insects and worms) and its sister group Cnidaria (e.g. jellyfishes and corals)—has been implicated in mediating life-cycle transitions, yet their endogenous roles remain poorly understood. By using CRISPR-Cas9-mediated reverse genetics, we show that cnidarian Wamide—referred to as GLWamide—regulates the timing of life cycle transition in the sea anemone cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. We find that mutant planula larvae lacking GLWamides transform into morphologically normal polyps at a rate slower than that of the wildtype control larvae. Treatment of GLWamide null mutant larvae with synthetic GLWamide peptides is sufficient to restore a normal rate of metamorphosis. These results demonstrate that GLWamide plays a dispensable, modulatory role in accelerating metamorphosis in a sea anemone.

2013 ◽  
Vol 224 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam M. Reitzel ◽  
Yale J. Passamaneck ◽  
Sibel I. Karchner ◽  
Diana G. Franks ◽  
Mark Q. Martindale ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 924-934 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Layden ◽  
Eric Röttinger ◽  
Francis S Wolenski ◽  
Thomas D Gilmore ◽  
Mark Q Martindale

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shane C. Miller ◽  
Diana P Baumann ◽  
M. Shane Merryman

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.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan M Jahnel ◽  
Manfred Walzl ◽  
Ulrich Technau

2009 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 100-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adam M. Reitzel ◽  
Marymegan Daly ◽  
James C. Sullivan ◽  
John R. Finnerty

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