Project description:Mammals and reptiles possess a metanephric kidney as the terminal renal organ for homeostasis of solutes and waste products. The development of the metanephric kidney has primarily been studied in mammalian model systems. Little is known about the conservation of metanephric kidney formation in non-mammalian species such as reptiles. Uniquely, reptiles maintain kidney progenitor cell populations throughout life and continually develop new nephrons, the functional unit of the kidney. The red-eared slider turtle, Trachemys scripta elegans, was utilized to investigate the conservation of reptilian metanephric kidney development. The nephron progenitor cell (NPC) marker, Six2, was detected in whole-mount turtle kidneys in a similar pattern to mammals. However, there were differences in progenitor cell niche morphology where turtle NPC populations formed distinct elongated rows instead of the rosette-like morphology found in the mouse. The pattern of NPC populations in the embryonic turtle kidney was maintained in the adult turtle. Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing was performed on cortical tissue containing the NPC populations from adult turtle kidneys and compared to those of adult mice. Significant conservation of gene methylation was detected in adult cortical tissue between the two species, although unique signatures were detected in turtle samples related to DNA repair and β-catenin signaling. This suggests a high level of conservation of metanephric kidney development at the genetic level.
Project description:We applied nanoscale liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS) in a single Trionyx triunguis reference specimen to identify diagnostic COl1 peptide markers. Our analysis revealed four COL1 biomarkers that differentiate T. triunguis from all sea turtle species, as well as seven additional turtle species with COL1 sequences available on NCBI: Chelonoidis abingdonii, Chrysemys picta bellii, Gopherus evgoodei, Mauremys reevesii, Pelodiscus sinensis, Terrapene carolina triunguis, and Trachemys scripta elegans. These findings enhance biomolecular identification methods for freshwater and marine turtle remains in archaeological and ecological contexts (especially on the Levant).