Graded FGF activity patterns distinct cell types within the apical sensory organ of the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis.

Bilaterian animals have evolved complex sensory organs comprised of distinct cell types that function coordinately to sense the environment. Each sensory unit has a defined architecture built from component cell types, including sensory cells, non-sensory support cells, and dedicated sensory neurons. Whether this characteristic cellular composition is present in the sensory organs of non-bilaterian animals is unknown.

The architecture and operating mechanism of a cnidarian stinging organelle.

The stinging organelles of jellyfish, sea anemones, and other cnidarians, known as nematocysts, are remarkable cellular weapons used for both predation and defense. Nematocysts consist of a pressurized capsule containing a coiled harpoon-like thread. These structures are in turn built within specialized cells known as nematocytes.

Regulation of stem cell identity by miR-200a during spinal cord regeneration.

Axolotls are an important model organism for multiple types of regeneration, including functional spinal cord regeneration. Remarkably, axolotls can repair their spinal cord after a small lesion injury and can also regenerate their entire tail following amputation. Several classical signaling pathways that are used during development are reactivated during regeneration, but how this is regulated remains a mystery.

Wound healing across the animal kingdom: Crosstalk between the immune system and the extracellular matrix.

Tissue regeneration is widespread in the animal kingdom. To date, key roles for different molecular and cellular programs in regeneration have been described, but the ultimate blueprint for this talent remains elusive. In animals capable of tissue regeneration, one of the most crucial stages is wound healing, whose main goal is to close the wound and prevent infection.

AP-1/miR-200a regulate the pro-regenerative glial cell response during axolotl spinal cord regeneration.

Salamanders have the remarkable ability to functionally regenerate after spinal cord transection. In response to injury, GFAP glial cells in the axolotl spinal cord proliferate and migrate to replace the missing neural tube and create a permissive environment for axon regeneration. Molecular pathways that regulate the pro-regenerative axolotl glial cell response are poorly understood.