A5075844361- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Marine Ecology and Invasive Species
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation
- Planarian Biology and Electrostimulation
- Marine Sponges and Natural Products
- Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ
- Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies
- Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
- Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
- Cellular transport and secretion
- Wound Healing and Treatments
- Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research
- Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
- Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Echinoderm biology and ecology
Queens College, CUNY
2025
The Graduate Center, CUNY
2025
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway
2017-2024
City University of New York
2024
Swarthmore College
2021-2023
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
2019
Whitney Museum of American Art
2014-2019
University of Florida
2014-2019
Mote Marine Laboratory
2015
University of Hawaii System
2010-2014
Wound healing is the first stage of a series cellular events that are necessary to initiate regenerative response. Defective wound can block regeneration even in animals with high capacity. Understanding how signals generated during promote lost structures highly important, considering virtually all have ability heal but many lack regenerate missing structures. Cnidarians phylogenetic sister taxa bilaterians and animals. To gain greater understanding early generate response, we examined...
Clonal animals do not sequester a germ line during embryogenesis. Instead, they have adult stem cells that contribute to somatic tissues or gametes. How fate is induced in these animals, and whether this process related bilaterian embryonic germline induction, unknown. We show transcription factor AP2 (Tfap2), regulator of mammalian lines, acts commit cells, known as i-cells, the cell clonal cnidarian
The fertile gonad includes cells of two distinct developmental origins: the somatic mesoderm and germ line. How interact to develop maintain fertility is not well understood. Here, using grafting experiments transgenic reporter animals, we find that a specific part gonad—the germinal zone—acts as sexual organizer induce de novo gonads in cnidarian Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus . Germ express member transforming growth factor–β family, Gonadless ( Gls ), induces morphogenesis. Loss resulted...
Hox gene transcription factors are important regulators of positional identity along the anterior-posterior axis in bilaterian animals. Cnidarians (e.g., sea anemones, corals, and hydroids) sister group to Bilateria possess genes related both anterior central/posterior class genes. Here we report a previously unrecognized domain expression starlet anemone, Nematostella vectensis, beginning at early blastula stages. We explore relationship two opposing (NvAx6/NvAx1) expressed on each side...
Hydractinia is a colonial marine hydroid that shows remarkable biological properties, including the capacity to regenerate its entire body throughout lifetime, process made possible by adult migratory stem cells, known as i-cells. Here, we provide an in-depth characterization of genomic structure and gene content two species, symbiolongicarpus echinata , placing them in comparative evolutionary framework with other cnidarian genomes. We also generated annotated single-cell transcriptomic...
The key developmental role of the Hox cluster genes was established prior to last common ancestor protostomes and deuterostomes subsequent evolution this has played a major in morphological diversity exhibited extant bilaterians. Despite 20 years research into cnidarian genes, nature cnidarian–bilaterian ancestral remains unclear. In an attempt further elucidate critical phylogenetic node, we have characterized recently sequenced Acropora digitifera genome. A. genome contains two anterior...
Placozoa are a morphologically simplistic group of marine animals found globally in tropical and subtropical environments. They consist two named species, Trichoplax adhaerens more recently Hoilungia hongkongensis, both with roughly six distinct cell types. With sequenced genome, limited number types, simple flattened morphology, is an ideal model organism from which to explore the biology animal cellular complexity analagous that earliest animals. Using new approach for identification gene...
Nodal signaling plays crucial roles in vertebrate developmental processes such as endoderm and mesoderm formation, axial patterning events along the anteroposterior, dorsoventral left-right axes. In echinoderms, an essential role establishment of axis asymmetry, but not or induction. protostomes, appears to be involved only establishing asymmetry. Hence, it is hypothesized that has been co-opted pattern deuterostomes for endoderm, formation well anteroposterior chordates. Hemichordata,...
Abstract Background The transcription factors of the LSF/Grainyhead (GRH) family are characterized by possession a distinctive DNA-binding domain that bears no clear relationship to other known domains, with possible exception p53 core domain. In triploblastic animals, LSF and GRH subfamilies have diverged extensively respect their biological roles, general expression patterns, mechanism DNA binding. For example, Grainyhead homologs expressed primarily in epidermis, they appear play an...
ABSTRACT The earliest record of animals (Metazoa) consists trace and body fossils restricted to the last 35 Myr Precambrian. It has been proposed that arose much earlier underwent significant evolution as a cryptic fauna; however, need for any unrecorded prelude duration disputed. In this context, we consider recent published research on nature chronology fossil metazoans molecular‐based analysis yielded older dates appearance major animal groups. We review work climatic, geochemical,...
Cnidarians are the closest living relatives to bilaterians and have been instrumental studying evolution of bilaterian properties. The cnidarian model, Nematostella vectensis, is a unique system in which embryology regeneration both studied, making it an ideal candidate develop vivo imaging techniques. Live most direct way for quantitative qualitative assessment biological phenomena. Actin tubulin cytoskeletal proteins universally important regulating many embryological processes but so far...
ABSTRACT Many animals achieve sperm chromatin compaction and stabilisation by replacing canonical histones with nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) such as protamines during spermatogenesis. Hydrozoan cnidarians echinoid sea urchins lack have evolved a distinctive family of sperm-specific histone H2Bs (spH2Bs) extended N termini rich in SPK(K/R) motifs. Echinoid packaging is regulated spH2Bs. Their negatively buoyant fertilises on the floor. Hydroid undertake broadcast spawning but their...
Abstract The ability to regenerate lost body parts is irregularly distributed among animals, with substantial differences in regenerative potential between and within metazoan phyla. It widely believed that animal clades inherited some aspects of their capacity from common ancestors but have also evolved new mechanisms are not shared other animals. Therefore, gain a broad understanding evolution, sampling approach necessary. Unfortunately, only few animals been established as laboratory...
Abstract SNAIL transcriptional factors are key regulators during development and disease. They arose early evolution in cnidarians such as Nematostella vectensis , Nv SNAILA/B detected invaginating tissues gastrulation. The function of proteins is well established bilaterians but their roles remain unknown. structure SNAILA B similar to the human SNAIL1 2, including SNAG zinc-finger domains. Here, we performed a molecular analysis on localization mobility using mammalian cells embryos....
ABSTRACT Hydractinia is a colonial marine hydroid that exhibits remarkable biological properties, including the capacity to regenerate its entire body throughout lifetime, process made possible by adult migratory stem cells, known as i-cells. Here, we provide an in-depth characterization of genomic structure and gene content two species, H. symbiolongicarpus echinata , placing them in comparative evolutionary framework with other cnidarian genomes. We also generated annotated single-cell...
Abstract The fertile gonad includes cells of two distinct developmental origins: the somatic mesoderm and germline. How germ interact to develop maintain fertility is not well understood. Here, using grafting experiments transgenic reporter animals, we find that a specific part gonad–the germinal zone–acts as sexual organizer induce de novo gonads in non-sexual tissue cnidarian Hydractinia symbiolongicarpus . We further show express novel member TGF-β family ( Gonadless , Gls ) induces...
Abstract The placozoans are a morphologically simplistic group of marine animals found globally in tropical and subtropical environments. They consist single named species, Trichoplax adhaerens have roughly six distinct cell types. With sequenced genome, limited number cell-types simple flattened morphology, is an ideal model organism to understand cellular dynamics tissue patterning the first animals. Using new approaches for identification gene expression patterns this research looks at...
Hox gene transcription factors are important regulators of positional identity along the anterior-posterior axis in bilaterian animals. Cnidarians (e.g. sea anemones, corals and hydroids) sister group to Bilateria possess genes related both anterior central/posterior class genes. In absence a conserved set among other early branching animal clades, cnidarians provide best opportunity learn about emergence this family. We report previously unrecognized domain expression starlet anemone,...
Abstract Many animals achieve sperm chromatin compaction and stabilisation during spermatogenesis by replacing canonical histones with nuclear basic proteins (SNBPs) such as protamines. A number of including hydrozoan cnidarians echinoid sea urchins lack protamines have instead evolved a distinctive family sperm-specific histone H2Bs (spH2Bs) extended N-termini rich in SPKK-related motifs. Sperm packaging echinoids is regulated spH2Bs their negatively buoyant for fertilization on the floor....