Scientists have found out how the formation of tubular structures occurs in the body of the starfish. This has been reported by the Marine Biology Laboratory.
One of the most important embryonic processes occurring in almost every living organism is the formation of hollow tubular structures in various species. These tubes can form blood vessels or the digestive system and, through branching and differentiation, complex organs including the heart, kidneys, and mammary glands. If this process is disrupted, serious dysfunctions and structural abnormalities occur in the internal organs.
Margherita Perillo and her colleagues decided to investigate how tubes form in starfish. patriotic miniata. These creatures are close to the base of the evolutionary tree of all chordates, making it possible to simultaneously study the diversity of these processes in all vertebrates. The authors combined the CRISPR genome search method with the review of videos of the development of starfish larvae. As a result, it turned out how this organism produces tubes extending from its intestines. The study identifies the basic genetic toolset from which the tubular organs of chordates evolved. Thus, it was possible to find that in starfish, cell proliferation and their migration during the formation of the tubes occur simultaneously, as in chordates, unlike, for example, in flies, where these two processes occur sequentially. This proves that the starfish is a good model organism for vertebrate studies.
In addition, the Six1/2 gene was found to serve as a master regulator of the branching process during tube formation. Six1/2 knockout in mice causes abnormal kidney formation. The authors also found that mice lacking this gene resisted tumor formation even when tumor cells were injected. It follows that by acting on this gene, it is hypothetically possible to treat (or at least study its occurrence) some types of cancer.
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