Somatic cells dissociated from an adult sponge can re-organize and develop into a juvenile-like sponge, a remarkable phenomenon of regeneration. However, the extent to which regeneration recapitulates embryonic developmental pathways has remained enigmatic. We have standardized and established a sponge Sycon ciliatum regeneration protocol from dissociated cells. From the morphological analysis, we demonstrated that dissociated sponge cells follow a series of morphological events resembling postembryonic development. We performed high-throughput sequencing on regenerating samples and compared the data with regular postlarval development. Our comparative transcriptomic analysis illuminates that sponge regeneration is equally as dynamic as embryogenesis. We find that sponge regeneration is orchestrated by recruiting pathways like those utilized in embryonic development. We further demonstrated that sponge regeneration is accompanied by cell death at early stages, revealing the importance of apoptosis in remodelling the primmorphs to initiate re-development. Since sponges are likely to be the first branch of extant multicellular animals, we suggest that this system can be explored to study the genetic features underlying the evolution of multicellularity and regeneration.
Somatic cells dissociated from an adult sponge can re-organize and develop into a functional juvenile. However, the extent to which regeneration recapitulates embryonic developmental signaling pathways has remained enigmatic for more than a century. To this end, we have standardized and established a sponge Sycon ciliatum regeneration protocol to achieve consistent regeneration in cell culture. From the morphological analysis, we demonstrated that dissociated sponge cells follow a series of morphological events resembling embryonic and postlarval development. Hence, we propose that sponge regeneration represents somatic development. To support our hypothesis, we performed high-throughput sequencing on regenerating samples and compared the data with regular embryonic and postlarval development of Sycon ciliatum. Our comparative transcriptomic analysis illuminates that sponge regeneration is equally as dynamic as embryogenesis. We find that sponge regeneration is orchestrated by complex regulatory mechanisms by recruiting signaling pathways like those utilized in embryonic development to organize into a functional juvenile. In the current study, we lay down the basic framework to study Sycon ciliatum regeneration. Since sponges are likely to be the first branch of extant multicellular animal and the sister lineage to nearly all animals, we suggest that this system can be explored to study the genetic features underlying the evolution of multicellularity and regeneration.
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