Marine Organisms as Model Systems in Biology and Medicine

Description

This book highlights the potential advantages of using marine invertebrates like tunicates, echinoderms, sponges and cephalopods as models in both biological and medical research. Bioactive compounds found in marine organisms possess antibacterial, antifungal, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties, and can affect the immune and nervous systems. Despite substantial research on the medicinal attributes of various marine invertebrates, they are still very much underrepresented in scientific literature: the majority of cell, developmental and evolutionary scientific journals only publish research conducted on a few well-known model systems like Drosophila melanogaster or Xenopus laevis. Addressing that gap, this book introduces readers to new model organisms like starfish or nemertera. By showing their benefits with regard to regeneration, stem cell research and Evo-Devo, the authors provide a cross-sectional view encompassing various disciplines of biological research. As such, this book will not only appeal to scientists currently working on marine organisms, but will also inspire future generations to pursue research of their own. Front Matter ....Pages i-xxi Front Matter ....Pages 1-1 Marine Nemertean Worms for Studies of Oocyte Maturation and Aging (Stephen A. Stricker)....Pages 3-14 Sperm Nuclear Basic Proteins of Marine Invertebrates (Anna Török, Sebastian G. Gornik)....Pages 15-32 Fertilization in Starfish and Sea Urchin: Roles of Actin (Jong Tai Chun, Filip Vasilev, Nunzia Limatola, Luigia Santella)....Pages 33-47 Starfish as a Model System for Analyzing Signal Transduction During Fertilization (Emily Wiseman, Lauren Bates, Altair Dubé, David J. Carroll)....Pages 49-67 Toward Multiscale Modeling of Molecular and Biochemical Events Occurring at Fertilization Time in Sea Urchins (Harold Moundoyi, Josselin Demouy, Sophie Le Panse, Julia Morales, Benoît Sarels, Patrick Cormier)....Pages 69-89 Monosex in Aquaculture (Tomer Ventura)....Pages 91-101 Front Matter ....Pages 103-103 Medusa: A Review of an Ancient Cnidarian Body Form (Cheryl Lewis Ames)....Pages 105-136 Sea Urchin Larvae as a Model for Postembryonic Development (Andreas Heyland, Nicholas Schuh, Jonathan Rast)....Pages 137-161 The Ciona Notochord Gene Regulatory Network (Michael Veeman)....Pages 163-184 Model Systems for Exploring the Evolutionary Origins of the Nervous System (Karri M. Haen Whitmer)....Pages 185-196 Nonprotein-Coding RNAs as Regulators of Development in Tunicates (Cristian A. Velandia-Huerto, Federico D. Brown, Adriaan Gittenberger, Peter F. Stadler, Clara I. Bermúdez-Santana)....Pages 197-225 Front Matter ....Pages 227-227 Differentiation and Transdifferentiation of Sponge Cells (Maja Adamska)....Pages 229-253 Holothurians as a Model System to Study Regeneration (José E. García-Arrarás, María I. Lázaro-Peña, Carlos A. Díaz-Balzac)....Pages 255-283 Regeneration in Stellate Echinoderms: Crinoidea, Asteroidea and Ophiuroidea (Yousra Ben Khadra, Michela Sugni, Cinzia Ferrario, Francesco Bonasoro, Paola Oliveri, Pedro Martinez et al.)....Pages 285-320 Solitary Ascidians as Model Organisms in Regenerative Biology Studies (Tal Gordon, Noa Shenkar)....Pages 321-336 Whole-Body Regeneration in the Colonial Tunicate Botrylloides leachii (Simon Blanchoud, Buki Rinkevich, Megan J. Wilson)....Pages 337-355 Front Matter ....Pages 357-357 Beach to Bench to Bedside: Marine Invertebrate Biochemical Adaptations and Their Applications in Biotechnology and Biomedicine (Aida Verdes, Mandë Holford)....Pages 359-376 Coral Food, Feeding, Nutrition, and Secretion: A Review (Walter M. Goldberg)....Pages 377-421 The Suitability of Fishes as Models for Studying Appetitive Behavior in Vertebrates (Pietro Amodeo, Enrico D’Aniello, Fanny Defranoux, Angela Marino, Livia D’Angelo, Michael T. Ghiselin et al.)....Pages 423-438 Glycans with Antiviral Activity from Marine Organisms (I. D. Grice, G. L. Mariottini)....Pages 439-475 Cnidarian Jellyfish: Ecological Aspects, Nematocyst Isolation, and Treatment Methods of Sting (N. Killi, G. L. Mariottini)....Pages 477-513 These Colors Don’t Run: Regulation of Pigment—Biosynthesis in Echinoderms (Cristina Calestani, Gary M. Wessel)....Pages 515-525 Front Matter ....Pages 527-527 Reef-Building Corals as a Tool for Climate Change Research in the Genomics Era (Filipa Godoy-Vitorino, Carlos Toledo-Hernandez)....Pages 529-546 The Crown-of-Thorns Starfish: From Coral Reef Plague to Model System (Kenneth W. Baughman)....Pages 547-568 Structures and Composition of the Crab Carapace: An Archetypal Material in Biomimetic Mechanical Design (Parvez Alam)....Pages 569-584 Octopus vulgaris: An Alternative in Evolution (Anna Di Cosmo, Valeria Maselli, Gianluca Polese)....Pages 585-598 Vision Made Easy: Cubozoans Can Advance Our Understanding of Systems-Level Visual Information Processing (Jan Bielecki, Anders Garm)....Pages 599-624