A strange connection has been discovered between humans and sea anemones, also known as sea anemones. A gene linked to human hearing development is also linked to sensory development in sea anemones, according to new research.
According to a new study published in eLife; It turned out that this gene, named pou-iv (pow-four), is also found in the tentacles of the star sea anemone, whose scientific name is Nemotostella vectensis, and plays a very important role in the animal’s sense of touch. The discovery of the role of this gene in the starfish anemone indicates that it was also found in the common ancestors of humans and anemones, and likely played a role in sensory development at that time.
Research reveals the evolutionary roots of our sense of hearing dating back millions of years
The sensory receptors of the auditory system of humans and other vertebrates are called ‘hair cells’. These cells, which have finger-like bundles of organelles called stereocilia, are in charge of perceiving mechanical stimuli, vibrations we perceive as sound. However, deaf mice without pou-iv indicate that pou-iv is required for the development of hair cells in mammals.
Starlet sea anemone tentacles also have similar mechanical-sensory hair cells used to sense movement. On the other hand, what was known so far about the role of the pou-iv gene in the sensory development of the anemone was quite limited; but new research has revealed what that link is.
Stating that this discovery is extremely exciting as it opens a new field of research on how mechanosensation (translation of mechanical stimuli into neural signals) develops and functions in a sea anemone, biologist Nagayasi Nakanashi of the University of Arkansas said, “The structure of our hearing It gives us information that the stones have ancient evolutionary roots dating back hundreds of millions of years. “he used the phrases.
Wanting to understand the function of the Pou-iv gene, a research team led by University of Arkansas biologist Ethan Ozment disabled the gene using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool and observed what had changed. By injecting a cocktail of Cas9 protein into fertilized star sea anemone eggs to deactivate the pou-iv gene, the team studied overgrown, mutated anemones as well as developing embryos.
As a result of this examination, the team observed that the tentacle hair cells of mutant animals developed abnormally and did not show any response to touch when compared to wild-type anemones in the control group. In other words, this means that anemones cannot detect mechanical stimuli through hair cells without pou-iv.
On the other hand, the result of knocking out pou-iv in anemones was also observed to significantly suppress a gene very similar to the gene that produces polycystin 1 found in vertebrates, which is essential for sensing fluid flow in the kidneys. Sensing fluid flow is an extremely useful ability for sea anemones, even though they don’t have kidneys.
The results show that the role of pou-iv in mechanoreceptor development is largely preserved
Considering all the data they obtained, the researchers concluded that the results of the study were pou-iv’ He concluded that the phylum Cnidaria, to which sea anemones belong, and its ancestor Bilateria, which had bilateral symmetry like humans, played a role in the development of mechanosensory cells. However, the researchers noted that further investigation of the gene’s function in ancient times would require data from other phyla with earlier breakpoints.
In their research article on this topic, the researchers noted, “Our results show that the role of pou-iv in mechanoreceptor development is widely conserved in Cnidaria and Bilateria.” It is still unresolved and requires comparative data from missing placozoans and sponges.”
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