Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Smith CL
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6500112 | biostudies-other | 2019 Apr
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other
Smith Carolyn L CL Reese Thomas S TS Govezensky Tzipe T Barrio Rafael A RA
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 20190412 18
<i>Trichoplax adhaerens</i> is a small, ciliated marine animal that glides on surfaces grazing upon algae, which it digests externally. It has no muscles or nervous system and only six cell types, all but two of which are embedded in its epithelium. The epithelial cells are joined by apical adherens junctions; neither tight junctions nor gap junctions are present. Monociliated epithelial cells on the lower surface propel gliding. The cilia beat regularly, but asynchronously, and transiently cont ...[more]