ArticleEvoDevo2016
Temporally and spatially dynamic germ cell niches in Botryllus schlosseri revealed by expression of a TGF-beta family ligand and vasa.
Article in EvoDevo, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Multi-stage single-cell atlas of a chordate non-embryonic development unveils dedifferentiating bud founder cells.Nature communications · 2026Article
- The Second International Symposium on Women in Tunicate Biology.Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000) · 2025Article
- Mechanisms of Germline Stem Cell Competition across Species.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Increased collective migration correlates with germline stem cell competition in a basal chordate.PloS one · 2023Article
- Evolution of Cellular Immunity Effector Cells; Perspective on Cytotoxic and Phagocytic Cellular Lineages.Cells · 2021Review
- Integrin-alpha-6+ Candidate stem cells are responsible for whole body regeneration in the invertebrate chordate Botrylloides diegensis.Nature communications · 2020Article
- Evidence that ABC transporter-mediated autocrine export of an eicosanoid signaling molecule enhances germ cell chemotaxis in the colonial tunicateDevelopment (Cambridge, England) · 2020Article
- In vivo manipulation of the extracellular matrix induces vascular regression in a basal chordate.Molecular biology of the cell · 2017Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundGerm cells are specified during early development and are responsible for generating gametes in the adult. After germ cells are specified, they typically migrate to a particular niche in the organism where they reside for the remainder of its lifetime. For some model organisms, the specification and migration of germ cells have been extensively studied, but how these events occur in animals that reproduce both sexually and asexually is not well understood.
resultsWe have identified a novel TGF-β family member in Botryllus schlosseri, tgfβ-f, and found that it is expressed by follicle cell progenitors and the differentiated follicle and support cells surrounding the maturing gametes. Using the expression of tgfβ-f and the germ cell marker vasa, we have found that nearly all germ cells in Botryllus are associated with tgfβ-f-expressing follicle progenitors in clusters consisting solely of those two cell types. These clusters were mostly small, consisting of ten or fewer cells, and generally contained between a 2:1 and 1:1 ratio of follicle progenitors to germ cells. Clusters of germ and follicle progenitor cells were primarily localized to niches in the primary and secondary buds, but could also be found in other locations including the vasculature. We analyzed the location of germ cell clusters throughout the asexual life cycle of Botryllus and found that at the stage when germ cells are first detected in the secondary bud niche, a dramatic change in the size and location of germ/follicle cell clusters also occurred.
conclusionsOur findings suggest that germ/follicle cell clusters have predictable migratory patterns during the weekly asexual developmental cycle in Botryllus. An increased number of small clusters and the presence of clusters in the vasculature coinciding with the appearance of clusters in the secondary bud suggest that fragmentation of clusters and the migration of smaller clusters through the vasculature may be an important aspect of Botryllus reproductive biology, ensuring the transmission of the germline to subsequent asexual generations.
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Registered trials
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