RT Journal Article
T1 Delegating Sex: Differential Gene Expression in Stolonizing Syllids Uncovers the Hormonal Control of Reproduction
A1 Álvarez-Campos, Patricia
A1 Kenny, Nathan J.
A1 Verdes, Aida
A1 Fernández, Rosa
A1 Novo Rodríguez, Marta
A1 Giribet, Gonzalo
A1 Riesgo, Ana
AB Stolonizationinsyllidannelids is auniquemodeof reproductionamonganimals.Duringthebreedingseason, a structure resemblingthe adult but containing only gametes, called stolon, is formed generally at the posterior end of the animal.When stolons mature, they detachfromthe adult andgametes are released intothewater column. Theprocess is synchronizedwithineachspecies, and it hasbeen reportedtobeunder environmental andendogenous control,probably via endocrine regulation. Tofurtherunderstandreproduction in syllids and to elucidate the molecular toolkit underlying stolonization, we generated Illumina RNA-seq data from different tissues of reproductive and nonreproductive individuals of Syllismagdalena and characterized gene expression during the stolonization process. Several genes involved in gametogenesis (ovochymase, vitellogenin, testis-specific serine/threonine-kinase), immune response (complement receptor 2), neuronal development (tyrosine-protein kinase Src42A), cell proliferation (alpha-1D adrenergic receptor), and steroid metabolism (hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2) were found differentially expressed in the different tissues and conditions analyzed. Inaddition,our findings suggest that severalneurohormones, suchasmethyl farnesoate,dopamine, andserotonin,might trigger stolon formation, the correct maturation of gametes and the detachment of stolonswhen gametogenesis ends. The process seems tobe under circadian control, as indicated by the expression patterns of r-opsins. Overall, our results shed light into the genes that orchestrate the onset of gamete formation and improve our understanding of howsome hormones, previously reported to be involved in reproduction and metamorphosis processes in other invertebrates, seem to also regulate reproduction via stolonization.
AB Los sílidos son un grupo de gusanos marinos sorprendentes por su modo de reproducción: desarrollan pequeños “clones” de sí mismos al final de su cuerpo (estolones), que sólo contienen óvulos o espermatozoides. Cuando los estolones están completamente maduros, se desprenden del adulto para nadar hasta la superficie donde liberarán los gametos de forma sincronizada (siguiendo el ciclo lunar). Hasta ahora se sabía que el proceso estaba controlado por hormonas, pero gracias a nuestro trabajo de expresión génica durante la reproducción de una especie del Pacífico, hemos conseguido averiguar un poco más sobre los genes que participan en el proceso. La intervención de dos de las hormonas más conocidas por regular actividades importantes del cerebro de numerosos animales (Dopamina y Serotonina), así como una tercera similar a la hormona juvenil de los insectos (que les permite su metamorfosis a adultos), son algunos de los resultados más llamativos de nuestro trabajo
PB Oxford University Press
SN 1759-6653
YR 2019
FD 2019-01
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/13499
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/13499
LA eng
NO Unión Europea. FP7
NO European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC)
NO Center for Systems Biology. Faculty of Arts and Sciences (Harvard University)
NO Research Computing Group. Faculty of Arts and Sciences (Harvard University)
NO Department of Life Sciences (Natural History Museum of London)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 28 dic 2025