Molecular characterization of the immediate wound response of the solitary ascidian Polycarpa mytiligera

Noam Hendin, Tal Gordon, Noa Shenkar, Omri Wurtzel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: Injury response is key to successful regeneration. Yet, transcriptome analyses of injury response were performed only on a handful of regenerative organisms. Here, we studied the injury response of the solitary ascidian Polycarpa mytiligera, an emerging model system, capable of regenerating any body part. We used the siphon as a model for studying transcriptional changes following injury, and identified genes that were activated in the initial 24 hours post amputation (hpa). Results: Highly conserved genes, such as bone morphogenetic protein-1 (BMP1), growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) and IL-17, were upregulated by 12 hpa, yet their expression was sustained only in non-regenerating tissue fragments. We optimized fluorescent in situ hybridization, and found that the majority of BMP1+ cells were localized to the rigid tunic that covers the animal. This highlights the importance of this tissue, particularly during injury response. BMP1 was overexpressed following injuries to other body regions, suggesting that it was a part of a common injury-induced program. Conclusion: Our study suggests that, initially, specific injury-induced genes were upregulated in P. mytiligera organs, yet, later, a unique transcriptional profile was observed only in regenerating tissues. These findings highlight the importance of studying diverse regenerating and non-regenerating organisms for complete understanding of regeneration.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1968-1981
Number of pages14
JournalDevelopmental Dynamics
Volume251
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022

Keywords

  • Polycarpa mytiligera
  • ascidian
  • injury response
  • regeneration
  • tunic

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Developmental Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Molecular characterization of the immediate wound response of the solitary ascidian Polycarpa mytiligera'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this