Search results for "echinoderm"
showing 10 items of 85 documents
Aberrant gene expression profiles in Mediterranean sea urchin reproductive tissues after metal exposures
2019
Abstract Marine organisms are simultaneously exposed to numerous pollutants, among which metals probably represent the most abundant in marine environments. In order to evaluate the effects of metal exposure at molecular level in reproductive tissues, we profiled the sea urchin transcriptional response after non-lethal exposures using pathway-focused mRNA expression analyses. Herein, we show that exposures to relatively high concentrations of both essential and toxic metals hugely affected the gonadic expression of several genes involved in stress-response, detoxification, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation, without significant changes in gonadosomatic indices. Even though …
Could the acid-base status of Antarctic sea urchins indicate a better-than-expected resilience to near-future ocean acidification?
2015
13 pages; International audience; Increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration alters the chemistry of the oceans towards more acidic conditions. Polar oceans are particularly affected due to their low temperature, low carbonate content and mixing patterns, for instance upwellings. Calcifying organisms are expected to be highly impacted by the decrease in the oceans' pH and carbonate ions concentration. In particular, sea urchins, members of the phylum Echinodermata, are hypothesized to be at risk due to their high-magnesium calcite skeleton. However, tolerance to ocean acidification in metazoans is first linked to acid–base regulation capacities of the extracellular fluids. No infor…
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors
2020
Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are key components of the epigenetic machinery controlling gene expression. They are involved in chromatin remodeling events via post-translational histone modifications but may also act on nonhistone proteins, influencing many fundamental cellular processes. Due to the key involvement of HDACs in serious human pathologies, including cancer, HDAC inhibitors (HDACis) have received increased attention in recent years. It is known that marine invertebrates produce significant amounts of secondary metabolites showing active pharmacological properties and an extensive spectrum of biomedical applications. Some of these compounds possess HDACi properties.
An Analysis of the Process of Fertilization and Activation of the Egg
1957
Publisher Summary Fertilization consists fundamentally in the release of a chain of metabolic reactions by virtue of which morphogenesis is started. The result of fertilization is the activation of the egg. This can be achieved also by several agents other than the spermatozoon and it is then spoken of as “artificial activation.” This chapter discusses the structural, physiological, and chemical changes that occur in the egg at fertilization that are significant in the understanding of the mechanisms of the activation. The chapter presents the hypothesis that in the cortex of the unfertilized sea urchin egg an inhibitor–enzyme complex is present. By reacting with some substance introduced b…
Effects of Sulfamethoxazole on Fertilization and Embryo Development in the Arbacia lixula Sea Urchin
2022
To date, drugs released into the aquatic environment are a real problem, and among antibiotics, sulfamethoxazole is the one most widely found in wastewater; thus, the evaluation of its toxicity on marine organisms is very important. This study, for the first time, investigates the in vitro effects of 4 concentrations of sulfamethoxazole (0.05 mg/L, 0.5 mg/L, 5 mg/L, 50 mg/L) on the fertilization and development of the sea urchin Arbacia lixula. The gametes were exposed to drugs in three different stages: simultaneously with, prior to, and post-fertilization. The results show a significant reduction in the percentage of fertilized oocytes at the highest drug concentrations. Moreover, an incr…
AQUATIC ACOUSTIC NOISE: BEHAVIORAL AND MOLECULAR RESPONSES IN ECHINODERMS, THE CASE OF A. LIXULA (LINNAEUS, 1758) SEA URCHINS
2018
Anthropic noise is considered a real pollutant, in particular the submarine noise. The impact on biodiversity is not yet sufficiently understood. Further research is needed to evaluate any negative effects. The noises associated with anthropogenic activities are increasing: shipments, seismic surveys, sonar, recreational rowing and future mineral extraction activities from ocean depths (DSM). These noises are having an impact on the welfare of many marine species. The understanding of the effects on biodiversity could be important for the creation of guidelines, laws or rules for the most environmentally sustainable exploitation of natural resources. Our study aims to investigate the motili…
Deep Sea Mining and the possible increase of metals in the water column: how will echinoderms and mussels respond?
2018
Marine pollution has been increasing as a consequence of human activities. In the near future will start the extraction of minerals from ocean depths, Deep Sea Mining (DSM). However, the impacts at the ecosystem level are still unknown. It is necessary to know the effects to contribute to the creation of rules, laws and mining codes that protect and conserve ecosystems and biodiversity. Sea urchin and mussels represents one of the most important seafood product, but also, a sentinel organism for ecotoxicological studies to assess aquatic environments quality. They are directly exposed to anthropogenic contaminants in their habitat. The aim of this study is to understand the influences of tw…
Effects of waterg gun on echinoderms: biochemical changes on sea urchin (Arbacia lixula) and sea cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa)
2019
Sources Airguns and Waterguns are used in seismic exploration the marine seafloor for different purposes such as oil and gas search, or geological-geodynamic reconstruction. In this technique a bubble of compressed air is produced with a consequently production of loud sound wave penetrating the ocean floor. The impact of seismic Airguns was assessed in some cetaceans (Kyhn et al. 2019), fish species and invertebrate (Carroll et al. 2017), but we need to know more. In this study we evaluate the biochemical changes in sea urchin (Arbacia lixula) and sea cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa) exposed to a 20 minutes of watergun noise (1 pulse each 10 s) at a distance of 50 m. For each species 40 indi…
Monitoring chemical and physical stress using sea urchin immune cells.
2005
Coelomocytes are the cells freely circulating in the body fluid contained in echinoderm coelom and constitute the defence system, which, in response to injuries, host invasion, and adverse conditions, is capable of chemotaxis, phagocytosis, and production of cytotoxic metabolites. Red and colourless amoebocytes, petaloid and philopodial phagocytes, and vibratile cells are the cell types that, in different proportions, constitute the mixed coelomocyte cell population found in sea urchins. Advances in cellular and molecular biology have made it possible to identify a number of specific proteins expressed in coelomocytes under resting conditions or when activated by experimentally induced stre…
Middle Cambrian Gogiid Echinoderms from Northeast Spain: Taxonomy, Palaeoecology, and Palaeogeographic Implications
2009
Gogia parsleyi Zamora sp. nov. and Gogia sp. are described from two different echinoderm assemblages, both from the middle Cambrian of the Murero Formation (Iberian Chains, NE Spain). Gogia parsleyi is reconstructed and described on the basis of fifteen complete or partial specimens and numerous isolated plates. It is characterised by spiralled brachioles, simple epispires, sometimes covered by stereomic domes or tiny cover plates, and by thecal plates arranged in subregular circlets. This gogiid population comprises juveniles, advanced juveniles and mature individuals. The material was found in the upper part of the Murero Formation (upper Caesaraugustian—lower Languedocian). Gogia sp. is …