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Aquatic Organisms Models Dedicated to Disease
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Aquatic Organisms Models Dedicated to Disease

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 May 2026 | Viewed by 1610

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Malgorzata Kloc

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. The Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX 77030, USA
2. Department of Surgery, The Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX 77030, USA
Interests: immunology; structural RNA; cellular cytoskeleton; macrophages
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Jacek Z. Kubiak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dynamics and Mechanics of Epithelia Group, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Development of Rennes, University of Rennes, CNRS, UMR 6290, 35043 Rennes, France
Interests: embryo development; cell cycle; gene regulation; cancer; stem cells; gonads; genetic diseases
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquatic organisms are an irreplaceable source of medicinal drugs and therapeutics, a perfect model system and indicator for many human diseases, and often also a source of remedies for environmental pollutants. As an example, for several decades, the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis has been used for human pregnancy tests. Between the 1940s and 1960s, thousands of frogs were imported to the USA by pharmaceutical companies and injected with pregnant women’s urine. Xenopus frogs are the perfect human ciliary-based model for kidney disease, and the Xenopus sex reversal is an excellent indicator of water contamination with endocrine disruptors that mimic human sex hormones and are present in the majority of cosmetics and everyday products. Zebrafish and squid eyes are a model for human ocular diseases, such as glaucoma, cataracts, photoreceptor degeneration, and cornea and retina disorders. The Atlantic horseshoe crab’s (Limulus polyphemus) blue blood has been the source of limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) and has been used to test the bacterial contamination of vaccines and medical equipment. Over the past 30 years, scientists have identified over 20,000 novel biochemical compounds from aquatic organisms, and dozens have been tested in clinical trials. Cytarabine and vidarabine isolated from Caribbean sponges are used to treat leukemia and lymphoma, and systematic herpes virus infections, respectively. Ziconotide, a powerful analgesic drug, is isolated from the cone snail, and trabectedin (Yondelis), a marine alkaloid isolated from the tunicate, is used to treat advanced soft-tissue sarcoma and ovarian cancer.

For this Special Issue, we invite research studies and review articles on the recent progress in aquatic organisms as a source of medication for human diseases. In addition, papers on environmental pollutant markers that act as sources of anti-pollutant compounds are also welcome.

Prof. Dr. Malgorzata Kloc
Prof. Dr. Jacek Z. Kubiak
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 3540 KB  
Article
Nutrient Deprivation in Artemia franciscana: Developmental Stage, Nutritional History, and Phenotypes Linked to Conserved Pathways
by Nikola Mitovic, Milena Maya Stamatoski, Dragan Ilic, Dalia Yassin Makki, Hala Alsaadi, Darko Puflovic, Milica Milosevic, Mirjana Jovanovic, Maja Milosevic Nale and Draško Gostiljac
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(8), 3621; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27083621 - 18 Apr 2026
Viewed by 52
Abstract
Starvation is a fundamental physiological stressor that triggers conserved adaptive responses across species, however, its effects are shaped by both developmental stage and prior nutritional history. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute nutrient deprivation in Artemia franciscana, comparing newly [...] Read more.
Starvation is a fundamental physiological stressor that triggers conserved adaptive responses across species, however, its effects are shaped by both developmental stage and prior nutritional history. This study aimed to investigate the effects of acute nutrient deprivation in Artemia franciscana, comparing newly hatched nauplii and adult individuals previously exposed to reduced caloric intake during development. Organisms were subjected to starvation for 24, 48, and 72 h, and mortality, morphometric parameters, and locomotor activity were assessed, complemented by in silico analysis of starvation-related pathways. Starvation induced distinct responses between groups, with markedly higher mortality in adults compared to nauplii. While these differences reflect developmental stage-associated responses, they are also influenced by prior nutritional history. Body length was significantly reduced under starvation in both developmental stages, while antennal length remained largely unchanged. Locomotor activity, including distance travelled and swimming velocity, was consistently decreased, indicating energy-conserving behavioral adaptation. Partial recovery of locomotor performance and antennal length was observed following restoration of feeding. Bioinformatic analysis suggested the presence of conserved autophagy-related genes and enrichment of pathways associated with autophagy and TOR signaling. However, these findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating, given the reliance on a proxy species for pathway inference. These findings indicate that starvation responses in A. franciscana are shaped by an interaction between developmental stage and prior nutritional history, supported by conserved stress–response pathways, highlighting the potential of this model for studying metabolic stress responses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms Models Dedicated to Disease)
17 pages, 2236 KB  
Article
Role and Impact of the brsk2 Gene in Zebrafish Retinal Development and Visual Function Characterized by Behavioral, Histological, and Transcriptomic Analyses
by Jingxin Deng, Yue Li, Meixin Hu, Chunchun Hu, Jia Lin, Qiang Li, Xiu Xu and Chunxue Liu
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(2), 858; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27020858 - 15 Jan 2026
Viewed by 413
Abstract
Vision is fundamental to the acquisition of motor, cognitive, and social skills, playing a crucial role in typical development. Early visual impairments are associated with various neurodevelopmental conditions, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The (Brain-specific serine/threonine-protein kinase 2, BRSK2) gene has been [...] Read more.
Vision is fundamental to the acquisition of motor, cognitive, and social skills, playing a crucial role in typical development. Early visual impairments are associated with various neurodevelopmental conditions, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The (Brain-specific serine/threonine-protein kinase 2, BRSK2) gene has been identified as a high-risk gene for ASD. This study aims to investigate the role of brsk2 in retinal photoreceptor development and visual function in zebrafish. Using behavioral assays, histological analysis, and transcriptomic profiling, we assessed the impact of brsk2 deletion on retinal structure and function. The results showed that brsk2ab−/− zebrafish larvae exhibited significantly enhanced light perception compared to wild-type (WT) controls. Structural analysis of the retina revealed disruptions in the layered organization, along with up-regulated rhodopsin expression in retinal cells. Additionally, transcriptomic analysis indicated that key opsins and genes involved in visual development and phototransduction pathways were markedly up-regulated following brsk2 deletion. This research highlights the importance of brsk2 in early retinal circuit development and its potential implications for understanding sensory processing deficits in neurodevelopmental disorders. By linking BRSK2 to specific sensory phenotypes, this study addresses a critical gap in knowledge regarding the mechanisms underlying sensory abnormalities in ASD and related conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Aquatic Organisms Models Dedicated to Disease)
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