Developing a new chordate model for stem cell biology and regeneration

摘要 这笔赠款的目标是适应当代的单细胞分辨率和基因组操作 利用殖民地海鞘物种Botryllus独特的再生生物学的工具 鸡尾酒。我们从ORIP回应的FOA声明的目标是创建新的和 干细胞生物学和再生的创新模型，Botryllus已经证明了这一点 创新研究的记录和丰富的生物学将通过这些新的 工具。海鞘是脊索动物，被认为是与海鞘最接近的近亲。 脊椎动物。像Ciona这样的物种已经成为解剖早期步骤的有力典范 脊索胚胎发生由于其相对简单和快速的发展，并分享了许多 特定于Chordate的功能，包括支持单元规范的早期机制，以及 多个组织的克隆起源。除了这种密切的系统发育关系，还有一个子集 海鞘物种是殖民地物种，它们的生长不是通过增加体型，而是通过一个过程 再生--整个身体--包括所有心血管、神经、内分泌和 生殖系组织-是再生的，在Botryllus中，这是每周同步发生的 时尚，为研究脊索中所有主要器官系统的再生提供了一个新的模型。 殖民地海鞘是唯一有能力再生每一个组织和器官的脊索动物 他们的身体和独特的生活史特征使Botryllus成为潜在的杰出模特 用于这些研究。

ABSTRACT The goal of this grant is to adapt contemporary single cell resolution and genomic manipulation tools to utilize the unique regenerative biology of the colonial ascidian species, Botryllus schlosseri. The FOA we are responding to from ORIP has as its stated goal to create new and innovative models for stem cell biology and regeneration, and Botryllus has a proven track record of innovative studies and a wealth of biology that will be made accessible with these new tools. Ascidians are chordates, and considered to be the closest living relatives to the vertebrates. Species such as Ciona have become powerful models in dissecting early steps in chordate embryogenesis due to their relative simplicity and rapid development, and share many chordate-specific features, including early mechanisms underlying cell specification, as well as clonal origins of multiple tissues. In addition to this close phylogenetic relationship, a subset of ascidian species are colonial, and grow, not by increasing in size, but via a process of regeneration- whereby entire bodies- including all cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine and germline tissues- are regenerated, and in Botryllus this occurs every week in a synchronized fashion, providing a novel model to study regeneration of all major organ systems in a chordate. Colonial ascidians are the only chordates with the ability to regenerate every tissue and organ in their body and unique life history characteristics make Botryllus a potentially outstanding model for these studies.