Transcriptome analysis of cold water sponge Halichondria panicea

Sponges - one of the oldest multicellular organisms. Sponges do not have real tissues and organs, but already have specialized cells with different functions. Studies in recent years have shown an unexpectedly complex genomic organization of sponges. Many types of sponge cells are capable of transdifferentiation, making them similar to stem cells. Sponge cells are capable of reaggregation after dissociation. The project aims to study different biochemical pathways in cold-water sponges under different physiological conditions, including during regeneration after mechanical dissociation.

海绵（Sponges）是现存最古老的多细胞生物类群之一。海绵虽不具备真正的组织与器官，但已演化出具备不同功能的特化细胞。近年来的研究显示，海绵的基因组组织复杂度远超此前预期。多种海绵细胞具备转分化（transdifferentiation）能力，使其功能与干细胞类似。解离后的海绵细胞可发生重聚集（reaggregation）现象。本项目旨在探究不同生理条件下冷水海绵体内的各类生化通路，其中包括机械解离后的再生过程。