Stony coral
Researchers at the University of Haifa, the Centre for Genomic Regulation (Barcelona), and the Weizmann Institute have managed to sequence – for the first time – the genetic program of each cell type in stony corals.
This allows researchers to understand exactly which cells take part in key processes in the coralâs development, such as skeleton formation, the immune system, and so forth.
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The joint study was published in the prestigious journal
Cell.
âCoral reefs play a critical role in the ecosystem in oceans and seas, since they provide a habitat for around 25 percent of the animals in the sea and build the largest biogenic structures in the world,” explained Dr Tali Mass (one of the authors of the study), head of the Coral Biomineralization and Physiology Laboratory within the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences at the University of Haifa.
Crean el primer Atlas de células que forman los arrecifes de coral de roca itongadol.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from itongadol.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Sea Anemones
Despite an evolutionary gap of 700 million years, a new study that was undertaken at the University of Haifa and published in the prestigious journal Nature Ecology and Evolution found that the GABA neurotransmitter, which plays a central role in brain development and function in mammals, fulfills similar roles in sea anemones.
âIn the study, we not only discovered that a receptor from the GABABR family controls the metamorphosis process in the sea anemone, but also that the molecular path is similar to that found in humans, and in both cases, it mediates nervous system functions. This similarity opens up new directions in the field of medicine, where the sea anemone can provide an accessible and simple model for analysis in the development of new medicines,” the researchers explained.