1.Differentiation and transdifferentiation of sponge cells
Maja Adamska, Division of Biomedical Science and Biochemistry, Research School of Biology
Linnaeus Building 134, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
2.Crabs review
Parvez Alam, Marie Curie Very Experienced Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh, UK
Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, UK
Adjunct Professor: Composite Materials and Biostructures, AAU, Finland
Visiting Professor in Biomimetics, UGM, Indonesia
3. Medusa review
Cheryl Ames, Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Washington District of Columbia, USA
4. The crown of thorns starfish: from coral reef plague to model system Kenneth W Baughman, Marine Genomics Unit, Okinaw
a Institute of Science and Technolog, Graduate University, Onna, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan
5.Vision made easy: box jellyfish can advance our understanding of systems level visual information processing
Jan Bielecki, Marine Biological Section, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 4, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
6. Mechanisms of immune response in corals
Luis F. Cadavid, Dept. de Biología & Instituto de Genética, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Bogotá DC, Colombia
7. Starfish as a model system for analyzing signal transduction during oocyte maturation and fertilization
David Carroll, Director of Graduate Programs in Biology Dept. of Biological Sciences Florida Institute of Technology 150 West University Blvd. Melbourne, FL 32901, USA
8. Translational regulation in marin
e organisms and interest in cancer research
Patrick Cormier, Responsable équipe Traduction Cycle Cellulaire et Développement, Laboratoire de Biologie Intégrative des Modèles marins- LBI2M- UMR8227, Station Biologique CNRS UPMC, Place Georges Teissier CS 90074, 29688 ROSCOFF CEDEX, France
9. Octopus vulgaris: an invertebrate alternative model system of complex brain
Anna Cosmo, Department of Biology, University of Napoli Federico II, Napoli, NA 80126, Italy
10. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of regeneration in echinoderms
Carlos Diaz-Balzac and Garcia-Arraras, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Department of Genetics, Ullmann Building, Room 709, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
11. Post-embryonic development (spec ifically metamorphosis) as a model for cell restructuring and differentiat
ion in sea urchins
Andreas Heyland, University of Guelph, Integrative Biology, 50 Stone Rd East, SCIE 1468, Guelph, ON N1G-2W1, Canada
12. Small ncRNAs repertoire associated with immunity on Tunicates" or "ncRNA evolutionary patterns in Tunicata"
Cristian Arley Velandia Huerto, MSc Bioinformatics Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Grupo RNomica teórica y computacional, Colombia
13. Jellyfish as the model for the evolution of sensory systems and stem cell differentiation
David K. Jacobs, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
14. Regeneration in Echinoderms
Youssra Ben Khadra, Laboratory of Genetics, Biodiversity and Valorization of Bioresources, Higher Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia, and Unive
rsity of Barcelona, Spain
15. Starfish oocytes as a model system for meiosis research
Peter Lénárt, Cell Biology and Biophysics Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Meyerhofstrasse 1, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany
16. Marine pharmacology
Alejandro M.S. Mayer, Department of Pharmacology, CCOM?Midwestern University?555 31st Street, Science Hall 322J, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515, USA
17. Actin cytoskeleton and egg activation in sea urchin and starfish
L. Santella, Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
18. Ascidians as model organisms for studying regeneration
Shenkar Noa, Department of Zoology George S. Wise Faculty of Life Science Tel-Aviv Univers
ity, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel and The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History and Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies
19. Marine nemertean worms as model systems for studying oocyte maturation and fertilization
Stephen Stricker, Department of Biology, MSC03 2020, 1 University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA
20. The evolution of sperm chromatin in marine invertebrates
Anna Török, Centre for Chromosome Biology, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
21. More than just evo-devo: Tunicates as model organisms for dissecting chordate gene regulatory networks
Michael Veeman, Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
22. Primary cell culture and transfection in crustaceans
To
mer Ventura, Aquaculture Biotechnology Research Fellow, University of the Sunshine Coast 4 Locked Bag, Maroochydore DC Queensland, Australia 4558
23. Stem cells of the reproductive system (sea urchin, starfish)
Gary Wessel, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Biochemistry, Box G, 185 Meeting Street, Brown University, Pr ovidence, RI, USA
24. Echinoderm oocytes and embryos to understand mechanisms of cell and embryonic polarity
Athula H. Wikramanayake, Professor and Chair of Biology, University of Miami, Florida, USA
This book highlights the potential advantages of using marine invertebrates like tunicates, echinoderms, sponges and cephalopods as models in both biological and medical research. Bioactive compounds found in marine organisms possess antibacterial, antifungal, anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties, and can affect the immune and nervous systems. Despite substantial research on the medicinal attributes of various marine invertebrates, they are still very much underrepresented in scientific literature: the majority of cell, developmental and evolutionary scientific journals only publish research conducted on a few well-known model systems like Drosophila melanogaster or Xenopus laevis.
Addressing that gap, this book introduces readers to new model organisms like starfish or nemertera. By showing their benefits with regard to regeneration, stem cell research and Evo-Devo, the authors provide a cross-sectional view encompassing various disciplines of biological research. As such, this book will not only appeal to scientists currently working on marine organisms, but will also inspire future generations to pursue research of their own.