Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Echinodermata |
Class: | Echinoidea |
Order: | Camarodonta |
Family: | Strongylocentrotidae |
Genus: | Strongylocentrotus |
Species: | S. purpuratus
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Binomial name | |
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Stimpson, 1857)
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Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is a
Strongylocentrotus purpuratus is used as a model organism and its genome was the first echinoderm genome to be sequenced.[5]
Role in biomedical research
The initial discovery of three distinct
Genome
The genome of the purple sea urchin was completely sequenced and annotated in 2006 by teams of scientists from over 70 institutions including the
The sea urchin genome is estimated to encode about 23,500 genes. The S. purpuratus has 353 protein kinases, containing members of 97% of human kinase subfamilies.[13] Many of these genes were previously thought to be vertebrate innovations or were only known from groups outside the deuterostomes. The team sequencing the species concluded that some genes are not vertebrate specific as thought previously, while other genes still were found in the urchin but not the chordate.
The genome is largely non-redundant, making it very comparable to vertebrates, but without the complexity. For example, 200 to 700 chemosensory genes were found that lacked introns, a feature typical of vertebrates.[13] Thus the sea urchin genome provides a comparison to our own and those of other deuterostomes, the larger group to which both echinoderms and humans belong.[12] Sea urchins are also the closest living relative to chordates.[13] Using the strictest measure, the purple sea urchin and humans share 7,700 genes.[14] Many of these genes are involved in sensing the environment,[15] a fact surprising for an animal lacking a head structure.
The sea urchin also has a chemical 'defensome' that reacts when stress is sensed to eliminate potentially toxic chemicals.
Increasing carbon dioxide concentrations affect the epigenome, gene expression, and phenotype of the purple sea urchin. Carbon dioxide concentration also reduces the size of its larvae, which indicates that fitness of the larvae could be negatively impacted.[16][17]
Ecology
The purple sea urchin, along with
Use as food
Sea urchins like the purple sea urchin have been used for food by the indigenous peoples of California, who ate the yellow egg mass raw.[20][21]
In California, the peak gonad growth season (and therefore peak of edibility) is September–October.[22] Early in the season, the gonads are still growing and the yield will be smaller. From November onwards the gonads are developed, however harvesting stress can induce spawning, decreasing quality.
See also
- Arbacia punctulata, the Atlantic purple sea urchin
References
- ^ Ricketts EF, Calvin J. Between Pacific Tides. 3rd Rev. edn. 1962 by J.W. Hedgpeth. XII 516. Stanford University Press, Stanford, CA. 1939
- ^ "Sea Urchin Research | ASU - Ask A Biologist". askabiologist.asu.edu. 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
- ^ "Strongylocentrotus purpuratus". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
- ^ T.A. Ebert, J. R. Southon, 2003. Fish. Bull. 101, 915
- PMID 34791383.
- S2CID 4283528.
- ^ a b "Sea urchins could contain the genetic key to curing some diseases". Retrieved 2016-12-05.
- ^ Ryan, Dr Martin. "M. Ryan". www.st-andrews.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-12-30. Retrieved 2016-12-12.
- PMID 27095483.
- ^ "California Purple Sea-Urchin Genome Sequenced by International Team | Caltech". The California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
- ^ "SU White Paper" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
- ^ PMID 17095691.
- ^ PMID 17095691.
- ^ Materna, S.C., K. Berney, and R.A. Cameron. 2006a. The S. purpuratus genome: A comparative perspective" Dev. Biol. 300: 485-495.
- PMID 16965768.
- ISSN 1543-5938.
- S2CID 27096322.
- PMID 17095690.
- S2CID 205143756.
- ^ D. Sweetnam et al., Calif. Coop. Oceanic Fish. Invest. Rep. 46: 10 (2005).
- ISBN 9780520038967.
- ^ "Purple Sea Urchin | California Sea Grant". caseagrant.ucsd.edu. Retrieved 2020-12-14.