Signaling Architecture Underlying Metamorphic Transitions in Marine Environments

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In a majority of sea shore marine invertebrates, a key transition in their life cycles is metamorphosis from a swimming larva to a bottom dwelling juvenile. Despite the ubiquity of this event in animal life cycles and strong selection on habitat choice, a mechanistic understanding of this process remains poor. My long term objective is to understand the regulatory architecture underlying larval development, metamorphosis and settlement in sea urchin larvae and gain novel insights into how these processes are integrated with environmental signals through endocrine and neuroendocrine mechanisms. By using the sea urchin, an advanced model in developmental biology and in the function and evolution of gene regulatory networks, this research program is making essential contributions to our understanding of post-embryonic development in animals. Towards that goal, I have built a successful research program investigating hormonal and neurotransmitter systems in sea urchin metamorphosis, the results of which has elucidated aspects of the complex integration of environmental and physiological systems that conspire to ensure successful metamorphosis and settlement. The work described in this proposal will continue this work. My specific goals for this five-year granting period are to 1) understand the mechanisms (synthesis and signaling) underlying the modulatory function of histamine (HA) in sea urchin metamorphosis; 2) understand the interactions of HA signaling with nitric oxide (NO) and thyroid hormone (TH) signaling; 3) understand the evolution of metamorphic signaling architecture in echinoids with specific emphasis on HA signaling. By bridging the gap between classical larval life history and modern developmental, cellular and genomic approaches, this program exemplifies the potential of multidisciplinary biological research to provide novel insights into animal ontogeny, evolution and ecology.