Embryotoxicity characterization of the flame retardant tris(1‐chloro‐2‐propyl)phosphate (TCPP) in the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis

Genomic studies using the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis

Gene number in an invertebrate chordate, Ciona intestinalis.

Gene number can be considered a pragmatic measure of biological complexity, but reliable data is scarce. Estimates for vertebrates are 50-100,000 genes per haploid genome, whereas invertebrate estimates fall below 25,000. We wished to test the hypothesis that the origin of vertebrates coincided with extensive gene creation. A prediction is that gene number will differ sharply between invertebra...

Matrix adhesion polarizes heart progenitor induction in the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis.

Cell-matrix adhesion strongly influences developmental signaling. Resulting impacts on cell migration and tissue morphogenesis are well characterized. However, the in vivo impact of adhesion on fate induction remains ambiguous. Here, we employ the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis to delineate an essential in vivo role for matrix adhesion in heart progenitor induction. In Ciona pre-cardi...

Genomic analyses reveal a conserved glutathione homeostasis pathway in the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis.

The major thiol redox buffer glutathione (l-gamma-glutamyl-l-cysteinylglycine, GSH) is central to cell fate determination, and thus, associated metabolic and regulatory pathways are exquisitely sensitive to a wide range of environmental cues. An imbalance of cellular redox homeostasis has emerged as a pathologic hallmark of a diverse range of human gene-environment disorders. Despite the centra...

Visualization of the invertebrate chordate Ciona intestinalis genome using a custom genome browser

With the sequencing of hundreds of genomes and the advent of high-throughput technologies able to produce high volumes of genomic information at increasingly faster rates and cheaper costs, there is a vital need for proper visualization tools for analyzing large amounts of genomic data. In this report, we implement a genome visualization tool for the model organism Ciona intestinalis. The tool ...