A5053003647- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies
- Hypothalamic control of reproductive hormones
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation
- Marine Toxins and Detection Methods
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiota
- Lipid Membrane Structure and Behavior
- Plant Reproductive Biology
- Literature, Culture, and Criticism
- Marine and fisheries research
- Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ
- Neutrophil, Myeloperoxidase and Oxidative Mechanisms
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Ovarian function and disorders
- Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms
- Estrogen and related hormone effects
- Indigenous Studies and Ecology
- Ocean Acidification Effects and Responses
- Cephalopods and Marine Biology
University of Miami
2011-2025
Virginia Mason Medical Center
2016-2024
Benaroya Research Institute
2016-2024
NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Northwest Fisheries Science Center
2020-2024
Seattle University
2023
University of Washington
2015-2023
Abstract The formation of extracellular DNA traps (ETosis) is a first response mechanism by specific immune cells following exposure to microbes. Initially characterized in vertebrate neutrophils, capable ETosis have been discovered recently diverse non-vertebrate taxa. To assess the conservation between evolutionarily distant phyla, we observed and quantified using model ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi oyster Crassostrea gigas . Here report that ctenophores – thought diverged very early from...
The goal of this study was to investigate how the Arg386Pro mutation prolongs KiSS-1 receptor (KISS1R) responsiveness kisspeptin, contributing human central precocious puberty. Confocal imaging showed colocalization wild-type (WT) KISS1R with a membrane marker, which persisted for up 5 h stimulation. Conversely, no lysosome marker detected. Also, overnight treatment inhibitor did not affect WT protein, whereas proteasome increased protein levels by 24-fold. and time-dependent internalization...
Transmissible cancers are clonal lineages of neoplastic cells able to infect multiple hosts, spreading through populations in the environment as an infectious disease. have been identified Tasmanian devils, dogs, and bivalves. Several bivalve transmissible neoplasias (BTN) species. In 2019 Puget Sound, Washington, USA, disseminated neoplasia was observed basket cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii), a species that is important culture diet Suquamish Tribe well other tribes with traditional access...
Ascidians (Chordata, Tunicata) are an important group for the study of invasive species biology due to rapid generation times, potential biofouling, and role as filter feeders in ecosystem. Phallusia nigra is a putative cosmopolitan ascidian that has been described introduced or number regions Indo-Pacific Ocean (India, Japan, Hawaii) Mediterranean. The taxonomic description P. includes striking smooth, black tunic large size. However, there at least two similar species—P. philippinensis...
Innate immunity is an ancient physiological response critical for protecting metazoans from invading pathogens. It the primary pathogen defense mechanism among invertebrates. While innate has been studied extensively in diverse invertebrate taxa, including mollusks, crustaceans, and cnidarians, this system not well characterized ctenophores. The ctenophores comprise exclusively marine, non-bilaterian lineage that diverged early during metazoan diversification. phylogenetic position of...
Disseminated neoplasia (DN) is a form of cancer in bivalve molluscs that can be transmissible between individuals and some cases across species. Neoplastic cells are highly proliferative, infection usually lethal. Commercially valuable species (mussels, cockles, softshell clams, oysters) affected by outbreaks DN, making disease diagnosis mitigation an important issue ecological restoration efforts aquaculture. Basket cockles (Clinocardium nuttallii) native to the North American Pacific coast...
We have developed an efficient method for the preparation and maintenance of primary cell cultures isolated from adult Mnemiopsis leidyi, a lobate ctenophore. Our are derived tissue explants or enzymatically-dissociated cells, maintained in complex undefined ctenophore mesogleal serum. These methods can be used to isolate, maintain, visually monitor cells assess proliferation, cellular morphology, differentiation future studies. Exemplar types that easily include proliferative ectodermal...
The cephalopod genus Nautilus is considered a "living fossil" with contested number of extant and extinct species, benthic lifestyle that limits movement animals between isolated seamounts landmasses in the Indo-Pacific. Nautiluses are fished for their shells, most heavily Philippines, these fisheries have little monitoring or regulation. Here, we evaluate hypothesis multiple species (e.g., N. belauensis, repertus stenomphalus) fact one diverse phenotypic geologic range. Using mitochondrial...
Cnidarians are commonly recognized as sea jellies, corals, or complex colonies such the Portuguese man-of-war. While some cnidarians possess rigid internal calcareous skeletons (e.g., corals), many soft-bodied. Intriguingly, genes coding for chitin-biosynthetic enzyme, chitin synthase (CHS), were recently identified in model anemone Nematostella vectensis, a species lacking hard structures. Here we report prevalence and diversity of CHS across Cnidaria show that cnidarian display diverse...
ABSTRACT Transmissible cancers are clonal lineages of neoplastic cells able to infect multiple hosts, spreading through populations in the environment as an infectious disease. have been identified Tasmanian devils, dogs, and bivalves. Several bivalve transmissible neoplasias (BTN) species. In 2019 Puget Sound, Washington, USA, disseminated neoplasia was observed basket cockles ( Clinocardium nuttallii ), a species that is important culture diet Suquamish Tribe well other tribes with...
Abstract The ability to isolate, monitor, and examine specific cells of interest enables targeted experimental manipulations that would otherwise be difficult perform interpret in the context whole organism. In vitro primary cell cultures derived from ctenophores thus serve as an important tool for understanding complex cellular molecular interactions take place both within between various ctenophore types. Here we describe methods reliably generating maintaining lobate Mnemiopsis leidyi can...
The kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R) is a G protein-coupled recognized as the trigger of puberty and regulator reproductive competence in adulthood 1,2,3. Inactivating mutations KISS1R identified patients have been associated with iodiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) 1,2 precocious 4. Functional studies these mutants are crucial for our understanding mechanisms underlying regulation reproduction by this well those shaping disease outcomes, which result from abnormal signaling...
The kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R) is a G protein-coupled recognized as the trigger of puberty and regulator reproductive competence in adulthood 1,2,3. Inactivating mutations KISS1R identified patients have been associated with iodiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) 1,2 precocious 4. Functional studies these mutants are crucial for our understanding mechanisms underlying regulation reproduction by this well those shaping disease outcomes, which result from abnormal signaling...
Abstract The cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) domain defines the characteristic ectodomain associated with class B scavenger receptor (SR-B) proteins. In bilaterians, SR-Bs play critical roles in diverse biological processes including innate immunity functions such as pathogen recognition and apoptotic cell clearance, well metabolic sensing fatty acid uptake cholesterol transport. Although previous studies suggest this protein family is ancient, SR-B diversity across Eukarya has not been...
Cell suspension fluidics, such as flow cytometry (FCS) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), facilitates the identification precise separation of individual cells based on phenotype. Since its introduction, has been used to analyze types cellular processes in diverse non-vertebrate taxa, including cnidarians, molluscs, arthropods. Ctenophores, which diverged very early from metazoan stem lineage, have emerged an informative clade for study type evolution. We present standardized...
Abstract The formation of extracellular DNA traps (ETosis) is a first response mechanism by specific immune cells following exposure to microbes 1,2 . Initially characterized in vertebrate neutrophils, capable ETosis have been discovered recently diverse non-vertebrate taxa 3 4-6 To assess the conservation between evolutionarily distant phyla, we observed and quantified using model ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi oyster Crassostrea gigas Here report that ctenophores – thought diverged very...
ABSTRACT Disseminated neoplasia (DN) is a form of cancer in bivalve molluscs that has been reported some cases to be transmissible cancer. Neoplastic cells are highly proliferative, and infection often lethal. Some commercially valuable species (mussels, cockles, soft-shell clams, oysters) affected by outbreaks disseminated neoplasia, making disease diagnosis mitigation an important issue aquaculture ecological restoration efforts. Here we describe minimally invasive, non-lethal method for...
Abstract Cell suspension fluidics, such as flow cytometry (FCS) and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), facilitates the identification precise separation of individual cells based on phenotype. Since its introduction, has been used to analyze types cellular processes in diverse non-vertebrate taxa, including cnidarians, molluscs, arthropods. Ctenophores, which diverged very early from metazoan stem lineage, have emerged an informative clade for study type evolution. We present...
Abstract The cluster of differentiation 36 (CD36) domain defines the characteristic ectodomain associated with scavenger receptor class B (SR-B) proteins. In bilaterians, SR-Bs play critical roles in diverse biological processes including innate immunity functions such as pathogen recognition and apoptotic cell clearance, well metabolic sensing fatty acid uptake cholesterol transport. While previous studies suggest this protein family is ancient, SR-B diversity across Eukarya has not been...
Abstract The formation of extracellular DNA traps (ETosis) is a first response mechanism by specific immune cells following exposure to microbes 1,2 . First characterized in vertebrate neutrophils, capable ETosis have been recently discovered several invertebrate taxa and the has most thoroughly examined bivalves 3–5 Here we report that ctenophores – thought diverged very early from metazoan stem lineage 6,7 possess cell types ETosis, suggesting this cellular behavior was likely present...