Meeting Abstract
P3.77 Sunday, Jan. 6 Conserved expression patterns of Nanos in the ctenophore Pleurobrachia bachei: Implications for germ line specification in basal metazoans. WINTERS, G.C.*; KOHN, A.B.; CITARELLA, M.R.; BOSTWICK, C.J.; DABE, E.C.; BOBKOVA, Y.; KOCOT, K.M.; SWALLA, B.J.; MOROZ, L.L.; University of Florida Whitney Lab, St Augustine; University of Florida Whitney Lab, St Augustine; University of Florida Whitney Lab, St Augustine; University of Florida Whitney Lab, St Augustine; University of Florida Whitney Lab, St Augustine; University of Florida Whitney Lab, St Augustine; Auburn University, Alabama; University of Washington, Seattle; University of Florida Whitney Lab, St Augustine gabrielle.winters@gmail.com
The pelagic ctenophore Pleurobrachia bachei is a representative of one of the most basally branching lineages of metazoans. Here, we take advantage of the sequenced Pleurobrachia genome to characterize the complement of molecular “toolkits” potentially implemented in development and cell fate specification. We began by investigating the gene for the maternal effect factor, nanos. Nanos contains a nucleotide sequence coding for a zinc finger domain that is highly conserved across metazoan taxa including ctenophores. We found a single copy of a nanos gene in P. bachei. This corresponds with the single nanos found in sponges, and does not correspond with the two copies found in the remaining non-bilaterian metazoans – the cnidarians. Next, we performed in-situ hybridization using DIG-labeled antisense mRNA probes to localize expression of nanos mRNA in adult P. bachei. Nanos expression was observed in the gonads, suggesting a role for nanos in germ cell maintenance in P. bachei. Further expression was observed in the aboral organ, and in potential stem cell niches throughout the adult organism. Finally using RT-PCR, we found that nanos is expressed constitutively during embryonic development. Thus, nanos likely plays a role in ctenophore development and can be considered a conserved component of the developmental toolkit for basal metazoans.
