Project description:Transcription factor SoxC is required for all neural development in purple sea urchin S. purpuratus embryos. To begin to develop a gene regulatory network for neural development, we used RNA-Seq to compare transcript populations in SoxC knockdown and control embryos.
Project description:Transcription factor SoxC is required for all neural development in purple sea urchin S. purpuratus embryos. To begin to develop a gene regulatory network for neural development, we used RNA-Seq to compare transcript populations in SoxC knockdown and control embryos. SoxC function was knocked down by morpholino oligo injection. RNA from about 1000 embryos were collected for both control and knockdown samples.
Project description:We identified cis-regulatory elements based on their dynamic chromatin accessibility during the gastrula-larva stages of sea urchin and sea star and studied their evolution in these echinoderm species
Project description:Seawater exposure to the gram negative marine bacterium Vibrio diazotrophicus induces a robust cellular response in sea urchin larvae that includes the migration of pigment cells to the gut epithelium, changes in cell behavior and altered gut morphology (Ho et al., 2016; PMID 27192936). To investigate the transcriptional underpinnings of this response, whole transcriptome sequencing was performed on mRNA isolated from larval samples collected at 0, 6, 12 and 24 hr of exposure to V. diazotrophicus. The morphological simplicity of the sea urchin larva provides a systems-level model for identifying biologically relevant transcriptional state changes in response to dysbiosis in the gut lumen.
Project description:The sea urchin S. purpuratus is a model organism for study of the genomic control circuitry underlying embryonic development. We examined the complete repertoire of genes expressed in the S. purpuratus embryo, up to late gastrula stage, by means of high-resolution custom tiling arrays covering the whole genome. We detected complete spliced structures even for genes known to be expressed at low leveles in only a few cells. At least 11,000 to 12,000 genes are used in embryogenesis. These include most of the genes encoding transcription factors and signaling proteins, as well as some classes of general cytoskeletal and metabolic proteins, but only a minor fraction of genes encoding immune functions and sensory receptors. Thousands of small asymmetric transcripts of unknown function were also detected in intergenic regions throughout the genome. The tiling array data were used to correct and authenticate several thousand gene models during the genome annotation process. Keywords: high-resolution tiling array, sea urchin, embryo Keywords: other
Project description:Here we present LC-MS/MS proteomic datasets of Heliocidaris erythrogramma, Heliocidaris tuberculata, and Lytechinus variegatus eggs and larvae. We find dramatic proteomic differences likely associated with life history evolution and between developmental stages. This study provides a complimentary dataset to previous transcriptomic analyses of the same three sea urchin species.
Project description:Engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are increasingly used to generate innovative industrial and medical goods. Because of their broad applications, they form a new class of pollutants with potential eco-toxicological impacts on marine ecosystems. Attempting to evaluate the risk, we investigated the toxicity of Iron and Zinc oxide ENPs on Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos. Sea urchin embryos are sensitive to both ENPs with a much stronger impact of ZnO ENPs. Transcriptome-wide analyses were conducted after exposure to ENPs or the corresponding ions. Only a very limited number of genes are differentially expressed in response to Fe2O3 ENPs or FeCl3. In contrast, both ZnO ENPs and ZnSO4 caused alteration of biological processes with stronger perturbation of gene expression for the ionic form (higher LFC). Comparison of GO term enrichment of the differentially expressed genes indicated that ENP and ions elicited partly different mechanisms, suggesting that a nanoparticule-dependent response was induced. Remarkably, the expression of the metal binding and ROS scavenging Metallothioneins were massively induced by ZnO ENPs and ZnSO4 while ZnO ENPs and ions mainly repressed the transcription regulation processes which control embryo development.