Search results for "Ascidians"

The Inflammatory Response of Urochordata: The Basic Process of the Ascidians’ Innate Immunity

2018

Ascidians form a widespread marine invertebrate group and are heterogeneous in terms of the taxonomic groups’ evolutionary lineages. The ascidian genomes lack significant homologies for rearranging genes of the vertebrate adoptive immunity. Genome analysis, gene sequencing, and transcriptional profiling have allowed us to disclose upregulation of innate immunity genes and cell labeling with riboprobes and antibodies has identified hemocyte types in tunic and pharynx inflammatory responses. Lymphocyte-like cells are stem cells and their immunocompetence has been proposed. Granulocyte types (compartment/morula cells) and hemocytes with large granules/vacuoles (compartment/morula cells) are ma…

The Ciona intestinalis immune-related galectin genes (CiLgals-a and CiLgals-b) are expressed by the gastric epithelium.

2017

The transcription of two Ciona intestinalis galectin genes (CiLgals-a and CiLgalseb) is uparegulated by LPS in the pharynxis (hemocytes, vessel epithelium, endostilar zones) which is retained the main organ of the immunity. In this ascidian, for the first time we show, by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization methods, that these two immune-related genes are expressed in the gastric epithelium of naïve ascidians, whereas the galectins appear to be only contained in the intestine columnar epithelium. In addition, according to previous results on the pharynx, the genes are also expressed and galectins produced by hemocytes scattered in the connective tissue surrounding the gut. The ge…

TRIBUTYLTIN-INDUCED EFFECTS ON MAPK SIGNALING IN ASCIDIAN EMBRYOS

2008

Among the class of organotin compounds, the most well known is tributyltin (TBT). Organotin have many applications, which include use in PVC, as catalyst in chemical reactions, agricultural pesticides and antifungal treatments for textile polymers. In particular TBT is used in marine antifoulant paints to prevent the growth of organisms such as barnacles on the hull of ships. Extensive use in antifouling paints led to the widespread distribution of TBT and its breakdown products in the global marine, sediment and biota. High levels of TBT in the waters were found to have impaired reproduction, by inhibiting embryogenesis and larval development in a variety of marine organisms. Symptoms of t…

Aspects of cell production in mantle tissue of Ciona intestinalis L. (Tunicata, Ascidiacea)

2005

Renewal of cell population is needed in the tunic of ascidians, as the tunic cells are involved in many biological functions. Tunic cells are thought to arrive by migrating across the mantle epithelium into the tunic from the blood lacunae or the mesenchymal space. Electron microscope observations show that the mantle epithelium of Ciona intestinalis shares some proliferative characteristics, releasing cells into the tunic and thus providing an increase renewal of tunical cells in restricted zones of adult animals.

Ultrastructural aspects of naturally occurring wound in the tunic of two ascidians: Ciona intestinalis and Styela plicata (Tunicata).

2015

Efficient wound healing is essential for all animals from insects to mammals. Ciona intestinalis and Styela plicata are solitary ascidians belonging to urochordates, a subphylum that occupies a key phylogenetic position as it includes the closest relative to vertebrates. Urochordate first physical barrier against invaders is the tunic, an extracellular matrix that is constantly exposed to all kinds of insults. Thus, when damage occurs, an innate immune response is triggered to eliminate impaired tissue and potentially pathogenic microbes, and restore tissue functionality. Ultrastructural aspects of the tunic in the wound healing process of two ascidians are described. In the injured areas, …

The Expression of an Immune-Related Phenoloxidase Gene is Modulated in Ciona Intestinalis Ovary, Test Cells, Embryos and Larva

2015

Two distinct Ciona intestinalis phenoloxidases (CinPO1, 2) had previously been cloned and sequenced. The CinPO2 is involved in innate immunity and is expressed by inflammatory hemocytes that populate the tunic and pharynx vessels as a response to LPS inoculation. In situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry assays on histological section, showed that the expression of this gene and the produced protein are shared with oogenesis, embryogenesis and larval morphogenesis. Intriguingly, upregulation of gene transcription was found in the test cell layer that envelopes the ovary follicle, ovulated egg, and gastrula, as well as it was modulated in the zygotic nucleus of outer balstomers of 32-ce…

Ultrastructural aspects of the tunic wound repair in Styela plicata and Ciona intestinalis (Tunicata)

2014

«Correlation between granulocytes and tunic cuticle of Ciona intestinalis (Tunicata, Ascidiacea) as evaluated by microscopy»

2012

The tunic is a peculiar integumentary tissue covering the epidermis of ascidians and other tunicates. It is an extracellular matrix whose outermost surface is revealed to be a continuos layer called tunic cuticle, composed of electron dense fibrous materials. Mechanisms occurring during the growth of the animal after metamorphosis, must assure the maintenance of the thin tunic cuticle density and integrity as it represents the primary body surface barrier preventing the mechanical and microbial assaults. Investigations by optical and electron microscopy on tunic samples from young Ciona intestinalis, allowed us to study morphological relationship between the tunic cuticle architecture and g…

CiC3-1a-Mediated Chemotaxis in the Deuterostome Invertebrate Ciona intestinalis (Urochordata)

2003

Abstract Deuterostome invertebrates possess complement genes, and in limited instances complement-mediated functions have been reported in these organisms. However, the organization of the complement pathway(s), as well as the functions exerted by the cloned gene products, are largely unknown. To address the issue of the presence of an inflammatory pathway in ascidians, we expressed in Escherichia coli the fragment of Ciona intestinalis C3-1 corresponding to mammalian complement C3a (rCiC3-1a) and assessed its chemotactic activity on C. intestinalis hemocytes. We found that the migration of C. intestinalis hemocytes toward rCiC3-1a was dose dependent, peaking at 500 nM, and was specific for…

Characterization and metal-induced gene transcription of two new copper zinc superoxide dismutases in the solitary ascidian Ciona intestinalis

2013

Antioxidant enzymes are known to protect living organisms against the oxidative stress risk, also induced by metals. In the present study, we describe the purification and molecular characterization of two Cu,Zn superoxide dismutases (SODs), referred to as Ci-SODa and Ci-SODb, from Ciona intestinalis, a basal chordate widely distributed in temperate shallow seawater. The putative amino acid sequences were compared with Cu,Zn SODs from other metazoans and phylogenetic analyses indicate that the two putative Ci-SODs are more related to invertebrate SODs than vertebrate ones. Both phylogenetic and preliminary homology modeling analyses suggest that Ci-SODa and Ci-SODb are extracellular and int…