Turritopsis dohrnii

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Introduction

Figure 1: Turritopsis dohrnii in its mature medusa stage. Photo credits: Takashi Murai, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/can-a-jellyfish-unlock-the-secret-of-immortality.html?src=me&ref=general.

Turritopsis dohrnii (previously classified as Turritopsis nutricula[1]), commonly known as the immortal jellyfish or the Benjamin Button jellyfish[2], is a small species of jellyfish known for its unique ability to revert back to an earlier life stage through transdifferentiation[3][4]. This ontogeny reversal renders the organism virtually immortal as this process has the potential to repeat itself indefinitely, although organismal death does still occur in its natural environment[5]. Reverse development can be triggered by a variety of stressors including starvation, changes in temperature or salinity, physical damage, or age-related deterioration[6].

Although a rare ability, reverse development has been reported in several other Cnidaria species. Some of these include Laodicea undulata[7], Aurelia sp.[8], Hydractinia carnea[9], Podocoryne carnea, Eleutheria dichotoma, Cladonema sp. and Cladonema uchidai, and Perarella schneideri[10].




Life Cycle

Figure 2: Life cycle pathways of Turritopsis dohrnii. Photo credits: https://thebiologist.rsb.org.uk/biologist/158-biologist/features/1510-everlasting-life-the-immortal-jellyfish.

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Genetics

Microbial Relationships

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Medical Potential

Conclusion

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References

  1. ↑ Schuchert P. Revision of the European athecate hydroids and their medusae (Hydrozoa, Cnidaria): families Oceanidae and Pachycordylidae. Revue suisse de Zoologie. 2004 Jun 1;111(2):315-70. Available from: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Revision-of-the-European-athecate-hydroids-and-and-Schuchert/e3d3dce80157e5ee98ecbe0bbe7d35eb36cbe82b?p2df
  2. ↑ Than K. "Immortal" Jellyfish Swarm World's Oceans [Internet]. National Geographic. 2009. Available from: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2009/01/immortal-jellyfish-swarm-oceans-animals/
  3. ↑ Schmich J, Kraus Y, De Vito D, Graziussi D, Boero F, Piraino S. Induction of reverse development in two marine Hydrozoans. Int J Dev Biol. 2007 Feb 1;51:45–56. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6617831_Induction_of_reverse_development_in_two_marine_Hydrozoans
  4. ↑ Piraino S, De Vito D, Schmich J, Bouillon J, Boero F. Reverse development in Cnidaria. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 2004 Nov 1;82(11):1748-54. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stefano_Piraino/publication/249542511_Reverse_development_in_Cnidaria/links/004635220749d81dc3000000/Reverse-development-in-Cnidaria.pdf
  5. ↑ Piraino S, Boero F, Aeschbach B, Schmid V. Reversing the life cycle: medusae transforming into polyps and cell transdifferentiation in Turritopsis nutricula (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa). The Biological Bulletin. 1996 Jun 1;190(3):302-12. Available from: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.2307/1543022?casa_token=VCv_136r__UAAAAA%3ARVFGUXoAfbOsfuX2x2l8RiTdYNa4mgvDPrnVFQEo5KUbmRat544_LD8iRbOzKJjDNuSi38-gjDo7&
  6. ↑ Piraino S, De Vito D, Schmich J, Bouillon J, Boero F. Reverse development in Cnidaria. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 2004 Nov 1;82(11):1748-54. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Stefano_Piraino/publication/249542511_Reverse_development_in_Cnidaria/links/004635220749d81dc3000000/Reverse-development-in-Cnidaria.pdf
  7. ↑ De Vito D, Piraino S, Schmich J, Bouillon J, Boero F. Evidence of reverse development in Leptomedusae (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa): the case of Laodicea undulata (Forbes and Goodsir 1851). Marine Biology. 2006 May 1;149(2):339-46. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00227-005-0182-3
  8. ↑ He J, Zheng L, Zhang W, Lin Y. Life cycle reversal in Aurelia sp. 1 (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa). PloS one. 2015 Dec 21;10(12):e0145314. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4687044/
  9. ↑ Schmich J, Kraus Y, De Vito D, Graziussi D, Boero F, Piraino S. Induction of reverse development in two marine Hydrozoans. Int J Dev Biol. 2007 Feb 1;51:45–56. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6617831_Induction_of_reverse_development_in_two_marine_Hydrozoans
  10. ↑ Piraino S, Boero F, Aeschbach B, Schmid V. Reversing the life cycle: medusae transforming into polyps and cell transdifferentiation in Turritopsis nutricula (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa). The Biological Bulletin. 1996 Jun 1;190(3):302-12. Available from: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdfplus/10.2307/1543022?casa_token=VCv_136r__UAAAAA%3ARVFGUXoAfbOsfuX2x2l8RiTdYNa4mgvDPrnVFQEo5KUbmRat544_LD8iRbOzKJjDNuSi38-gjDo7&


Edited by [Author Name], student of Joan Slonczewski for BIOL 116 Information in Living Systems, 2020, Kenyon College.

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