Chymotrypsin mRNA expression in digestive gland amoebocytes: cell specification occurs prior to metamorphosis and gut morphogenesis in the gastropod, Haliotis rufescens (original) (raw)

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Understanding the molecular mechanisms of gut development in marine gastropods is crucial for insights into evolutionary biology and developmental processes. This study demonstrates that chymotrypsin mRNA expression in amoebocytes begins prior to metamorphosis in *Haliotis rufescens*, indicating early cell specification, while the completion of gut morphogenesis is dependent on metamorphic signaling.

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Abstract

In the non-feeding larva of the marine gastropod, Haliotis rufescens, gut morphogenesis is initiated at metamorphosis. Intestine-specific chymotrypsin gene expression begins in amoebocytes located in the dorsoposterior region of the undifferentiated digestive gland prior to metamorphosis, 5 d post-fertilization. Transcript accumulates steadily in these cells over the next 6 d while the amoebocytes migrate slowly dorsally. Induction of metamorphosis dramatically accelerates the rates of chymotrypsin mRNA accumulation and amoebocyte migration, and is required for homing of the amoebocytes to the hindgut region. Induction of chymotrypsin gene expression occurs only in larvae that had developed competence to recognize an exogenous morphogenetic cue and initiate metamorphosis, with a more pronounced increase in chymotrypsin mRNA accumulation in occurring older larvae. Chymotrypsin mRNA accumulation patterns suggest that hindgut cell specification occurs prior to metamorphosis, but that completion of the morphogenetic program requires signaling events associated with metamorphosis.

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  1. Bernard M. Degnan
    Present address: Department of Zoology, University of Queensland, Q 4072, Brisbane, Australia
  2. Jay C. Groppe
    Present address: Department of Cell Biology, Klingelbergstrasse 70, CH-4056, Biozentrum, Basel, Switzerland

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Biotechnology Center and Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology University of California, 93106, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
    Bernard M. Degnan, Jay C. Groppe & Daniel E. Morse

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  1. Bernard M. Degnan
  2. Jay C. Groppe
  3. Daniel E. Morse

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Degnan, B.M., Groppe, J.C. & Morse, D.E. Chymotrypsin mRNA expression in digestive gland amoebocytes: cell specification occurs prior to metamorphosis and gut morphogenesis in the gastropod, Haliotis rufescens.Roux's Arch Dev Biol 205, 97–101 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00188848

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