Project description:We used bacteria isolated from field samples of Nematostella vectensis to quantify gene expression through comparisons of transcriptomes.
Project description:Bilaterian animals differ from other metazoans in their apparent bilateral symmetry and the development of a third germ layer. Both might have facilitated the evolution of the diverse and complex bilaterian body plans. The first cnidarian genome sequence revealed that despite their morphological simplicity, this sister group to all bilaterians shares an immense genomic complexity with vertebrates. This suggested that it might have been the complexity of gene regulation which increased during the evolution of bilaterians. We compared the gene regulatory landscape of cnidarians and bilaterians. To this end we generated the first genome-wide prediction of gene regulatory elements and profiled five epigenetic marks in a non-bilaterian animal, the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. We found that the location of chromatin modifications relative to genes and distal enhancers is conserved among eumetazoans. Surprisingly, the genomic landscape of gene regulatory elements is highly similar between Nematostella and bilaterian model organisms. This suggests that complex regulation of developmental gene expression evolved in eumetazoans without a major increase in complexity in bilaterians. ChIP-seq of p300, RNA Pol2, and five histone modifications in Nematostella vectensis.
Project description:We utilized the eyeless sea anemone, Nematostella vectensis, to quantify gene expression differences between different colors of light (red, green, blue) and in constant darkness through comparisons of 96 transcriptomes
Project description:Changes in Nematostella vectensis proteome expression were analyzed in 2 different Nematostella populations along the east coast of USA in different stress conditions vrs. normal growth temperature.
Project description:While FGF mediated MEK/ERK signaling is required for apical tuft formation and metamorphosis in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Rentzsch et al, 2008), nothing is known about the role of MEK/ERK signaling in inducing germ layers and cell types during early developmental stages. We therefore performed a genome wide expression array on UO126 (MEK inhibitor) treated blastula stages compared to DMSO treated control embryos and identified genes potentially involved in neurogenesis, germ layer specification and axial patterning.We performed transcriptional profiling of Nematostella vectensis blastula stages (24 hours post fertilisation @ 17C) using a custom made whole genome array (4x72K - A-MEXP-2380). DMSO treated wild-type embryos were compared to U0126 (MEK Inhibitor) treated embryos at the blastula stage.
Project description:MicroRNAs of bilaterian animals undergo posttranscriptional modifications such as methylation, tailing and trimming that regulate miRNA stability and function. To gain insight on the evolution of miRNA posttranscriptional modification, we studied regulation of miRNA stability by methylation in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis, a representative of Cnidaria, the sister group of Bilateria.
Project description:NvNcol3::mOrange2 is a stable transgenic line that labels cnidocytes(stinging cells) of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Nakanishi et al., Development 2012). Two week old primary polyps were dissociated and the NvNcol3::mOrange2 positive and negative cells were enriched by FACS.
Project description:NvElav1::mOrange is a stable transgenic line that labels a large fraction of the nervous system of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis (Nakanishi et al., Development 2012). Two week old primary polyps were dissociated and the NvElav1::mOrange positive cells were enriched by FACS.
