Affiliation:
1. Fang Zongxi Center, MoE Key Laboratory of Marine Genetics and Breeding, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
2. Laoshan Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
3. MoE Key Laboratory of Evolution and Marine Biodiversity, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
Abstract
The vertebrate intestinal system consists of separate segments that remarkably differ in morphology and function. However, the origin of intestinal segmentation remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the segmentation of the intestine in a tunicate ascidian species, Ciona savignyi, by performing RNA sequencing. The gene expression profiles showed that the whole intestine was separated into three segments. Digestion, ion transport and signal transduction, and immune-related pathway genes were enriched in the proximal, middle, and distal parts of the intestine, respectively, implying that digestion, absorption, and immune function appear to be regional specializations in the ascidian intestine. We further performed a multi−species comparison analysis and found that the Ciona intestine showed a similar gene expression pattern to vertebrates, indicating tunicates and vertebrates might share the conserved intestinal functions. Intriguingly, vertebrate pancreatic homologous genes were expressed in the digestive segment of the Ciona intestine, suggesting that the proximal intestine might play the part of pancreatic functions in C. savignyi. Our results demonstrate that the tunicate intestine can be functionally separated into three distinct segments, which are comparable to the corresponding regions of the vertebrate intestinal system, offering insights into the functional evolution of the digestive system in chordates.
Funder
Science & Technology Innovation Project of Laoshan Laboratory
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Taishan Scholar Program of Shandong Province
Subject
Inorganic Chemistry,Organic Chemistry,Physical and Theoretical Chemistry,Computer Science Applications,Spectroscopy,Molecular Biology,General Medicine,Catalysis
Cited by
3 articles.
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