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Stem cells in Nanomia bijuga (Siphonophora), a colonial animal with localized growth zones

Stefan Siebert, Freya E. Goetz, Samuel H. Church, Pathikrit Bhattacharyya, Felipe Zapata, Steven H.D. Haddock, Casey W. Dunn
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/001685
Stefan Siebert
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States of America
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Freya E. Goetz
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States of America
2Department of Invertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, 20004, United States of America
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Samuel H. Church
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States of America
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Pathikrit Bhattacharyya
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States of America
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Felipe Zapata
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States of America
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Steven H.D. Haddock
3Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, California, 95039, United States of America
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Casey W. Dunn
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, 02912, United States of America
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Abstract

Background Siphonophores (Hydrozoa) have unparalleled colony-level complexity, precision of colony organization, and functional specialization between zooids (i.e., the units that make up colonies) Previous work has shown that, unlike other colonial animals, most growth in siphonophores is restricted to one or two well-defined growth zones that are the sites of both elongation and zooid budding. It remained unknown, however, how this unique colony growth and development is realized at the cellular level.

Results To understand the colony-level growth and development of siphonophores at the cellular level, we characterize the distribution of proliferating cells and interstitial stem cells (i-cells) in the siphonophore Nanomia bijuga. Within the colony we find that i-cells are present at the tip of the horn, the structure within the growth zone that gives rise to new zooids. They persist in the youngest zooid buds, but as each zooid matures i-cells become progressively restricted to specific regions within the zooids until they are mostly absent from the oldest zooids. I-cell marker-gene expression remained in gametogenic regions. I-cells are not found in the stem between maturing zooids. Domains of high cell proliferation include regions where i-cells can be found, but also include some areas without i-cells such as the stem within the growth zones. Cell proliferation in regions devoid of marker gene expression indicates the presence of mitotically active epithelial cell lineages and, potentially, progenitor cell populations.

Conclusions Restriction of stem cells to particular regions in the colony may play a major role in facilitating the precision of siphonophore growth, and also lead to a reduced developmental plasticity in other, typically older, parts of the colony. This helps explain why siphonophore colonies have such precise colony-level organization.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted March 16, 2015.
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Stem cells in Nanomia bijuga (Siphonophora), a colonial animal with localized growth zones
Stefan Siebert, Freya E. Goetz, Samuel H. Church, Pathikrit Bhattacharyya, Felipe Zapata, Steven H.D. Haddock, Casey W. Dunn
bioRxiv 001685; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/001685
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Stem cells in Nanomia bijuga (Siphonophora), a colonial animal with localized growth zones
Stefan Siebert, Freya E. Goetz, Samuel H. Church, Pathikrit Bhattacharyya, Felipe Zapata, Steven H.D. Haddock, Casey W. Dunn
bioRxiv 001685; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/001685

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