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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rossella Annunziata

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Guest Editor

Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms Department, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Naples, Villa Comunale, 80121 Napoli, Italy
Interests: genome function evolution; cell decision making; gene regulation; environmental adaptation; life cycle regulation; marine organisms

Dr. Margherita Perillo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Division of Biology and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Interests: tubulogenesis; cell migration; germ line development; sea star and sea urchin embryos

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the most fascinating phenomena in biology is the ability of cells to decide about their fate in response to external stimuli. This ability is fundamental for the optimal regulation of biological processes such as the acquisition of cell fate, modulation of cell cycle, and tuning of cell metabolism and physiology. Understanding how cells perceive and integrate environmental cues to regulate their activity can be critical to both predict the effects of climate change on living organisms and to engineer new strategies to treat human diseases.

In this context, marine organisms offer a rich source of diversity to obtain new and original perspectives on the molecular regulation of cellular functions.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide an overview of the current research exploiting marine organisms to study the complexity of cell decision making using approaches ranging from molecular, cellular, and physiological analyses to functional genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenetics.

Both original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: (1) cell cycle and life cycle regulation in marine unicellular and multicellular organisms; (2) cellular responses to environmental stimuli in marine organisms; and (3) cell fate acquisition in embryonic development.

Within the purpose of this Special Issue, we also encourage submissions of manuscripts that are the outcome of projects that come from undergraduate teaching classes.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Rossella Annunziata
Dr. Margherita Perillo
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Cell fate
Cell cycle
Embryonic development
Molecular mechanisms
Environmental signals

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2489 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mate Perception and Gene Networks Regulating the Early Phase of Sex in Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata

by Pina Marotta, Camilla Borgonuovo, Anna Santin, Monia Teresa Russo, Francesco Manfellotto, Marina Montresor, Pasquale De Luca and Maria Immacolata Ferrante

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2022, 10(12), 1941; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse10121941 - 07 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1668

Abstract

Diatoms are photosynthetic microorganisms playing a key role in the functioning of aquatic ecosystems; they are at the base of the food web and are the main drivers of biogeochemical processes. These microalgae have a unique diplontic life cycle in which the vegetative phase entails a cell size reduction that would lead to the extinction of the cell population if the size was not restored, usually by sexual reproduction. The switch from asexual to sexual reproduction needs to be finely synchronized and regulated to ensure its success; to this aim, cells evolved complex chemical crosstalk that mediates mating. We focused our attention on the marine diatom Pseudo-nitzschia multistriata, investigating the reciprocal perception of the opposite mating type (MT) and the genes and signaling molecules putatively involved in the process. From previously available transcriptomic data, we selected a panel of genes deregulated during the early phase of sexual reproduction, confirming for some of them a role during mate perception and establishing a hierarchy governing their behavior. Moreover, we explored the nature of the molecules controlling sexual reproduction in this species, unveiling that the signaling is mediated by the secretion of protein and non-protein cues from the MT− and MT+, respectively. Our results point to a model in which the two MTs stimulate each other, but the stimulation by the MT− is amplified after MT+ perception in a positive feedback manner. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulation of Cell Decision Making: Lessons from Marine Organisms)

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Review

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23 pages, 736 KiB

Open AccessReview

Programmed Cell Death in Sea Urchins: A Review

by Viviana Di Tuccio, Pasquale De Luca and Giovanna Romano

J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2023, 11(5), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11050956 - 30 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1729

Abstract

The sea urchin embryo is a widespread model system useful to study fundamental biological processes, but also for the identification of molecular and cellular mechanisms activated in response to external stress factors. Programmed cell death (PCD) is a molecular mechanism regulated at the genomic level and conserved during evolution, playing a central role in the rearrangement and shaping of tissues in developing embryos, especially during metamorphosis, also activated in response to damages induced by abiotic stress. Currently, different types of PCD have been described, among which apoptosis and autophagy are the most conserved processes among metazoans. These processes can be activated as alternative or combined defense strategies in embryos exposed to different types of stress when repairing mechanisms (activation of Heath Shock Proteins and Metallothioneins, DNA repair), fail to rescue cell viability. In this review, we report on the available information concerning the possible involvement of PCD processes in sea urchin embryos following exposure to pollutants, including heavy metals, physical factors and toxic natural compounds. We also report information about the occurrence of physiological apoptosis during development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Regulation of Cell Decision Making: Lessons from Marine Organisms)

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