The MISC field needs to develop connections with relevant biotech industries and it faces with the challenge in convincing the multiple types of stakeholders (i.e., those reported in para 2.B.I) that, through its know-how and expertise, it can achieve what is promised. Task 5.5 - society and science This will guide the development of shared services and solutions not only within the research institutions but also into the working environments of stakeholders and users to lay a solid foundation for long-term cooperation. In echinoderms, the cells have been described mainly in organisms of the class Asteroidea (sea stars) and Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers). We also discuss the newly described view of enteroendocrine cells as chemical sensors of the intestinal lumen and provide some histological evidence that similar functions might be found within the echinoderms. This Action is unique in combining a network of European laboratories that are at the forefront of using organismal, cellular and genomic technologies with biologists studying the fundamental aspects (such as stem cell biology, aging, regeneration and tumour formation), end users that are associated with industries (five different sectors were outlined in section 2.B.I) and human wellbeing in the European, also tackling with the pressing environmental challenges our seas and oceans face right now. However, the focus has been somewhat uneven; some tissues, such as the neuro-muscular system, are relatively well described in most groups, whereas others, including the digestive system, are only poorly understood. The Action will be managed by the Management Committee (MC); MC Members will be nominated by the COST National Coordinators of the Participating COST Countries. Contacts with industries interested in exploiting MISC for their regenerative potential and/or the production of bioactive molecules or metabolites useful in animal/human welfare and/or biotechnological applications will be established. The main aim and objective of the Action is to foster the study of marine/aquatic invertebrate stem cells (MISCs) for innovative ideas relevant to various biomedical disciplines. • promoting workshops/teaching activities on MISC in the European universities through the initiative of the participants of this COST Action; Next to secretory (zymogenic) cells, enteric phagocytes form one of the two major cell types of the intestine of most invertebrate animals. The oral cavity and pharynx vary considerably among the vertebrate classes. b. “COST Action Proposal Submission, Evaluation, Selection and Approval” (COST 133/14); Intensive research has revealed in detail molecular and cellular mechanisms of phagocytosis and intracellular digestion in macrophages. Our aim is to provide answers to the questions: How did complex body plans arise in evolutionary time? Invertebrates (cephalopods excluded) are not included in the EU directive and offer the possibility of in vivo analyses. This will also enhance competitiveness of the research. a) Comparative aspects. Use the terms photoautotroph, chemoautotroph, photoheterotroph, and chemoheterotroph to classify each of the following: a) Your friend loves sitting in the sun eating delicious grapes. Our lab, with different collaborators, brings together leading experts from different fields with the goal of elucidating the evolutionary and developmental origins of organismal and genomic complexity. II) DISSEMINATION AND/OR EXPLOITATION PLAN Mollusc-feeding biology is highly diverse, including omnivorous grazers, herbivores, carnivorous scavengers and predators, and even some parasitic species. Networking will also give additional strength to outreaching activities, in particular those promoting the societal awareness of the importance of sea and its biodiversity. III) INNOVATION IN TACKLING THE CHALLENGE The phylum Mollusca is one of the largest and more diversified among metazoan phyla, comprising many thousand species living in ocean, freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. considered as a system, the topics of each system can be evaluated analytically. • training initiatives for students/young researchers. In addition, marine organisms and their cells are of great use to study the impacts of environmental stressors, global warming and ocean acidification on biota. • establishing the MISC discipline in the front interest of biomedical disciplines; 4. 1.3 Guidelines to solve the problem of endosymbiont contamination that, up to now, made fruitless the efforts of in vitro rearing of MISC. Boosting marine innovation through biotechnology-related activities is specifically mentioned in Horizon 2020: under the priority ‘Better Society’. While much is known on adult stem cells and their properties in vertebrates (primarily mammals) and some model terrestrial invertebrates (i.e., Drosophila), very little has been learnt on the nature and properties of MISC. that express neuropeptides in the enteroendocrine cells. In this context, this Action will be a comprehensive, integrated, multidisciplinary genomic and proteomic approach to understand the basic biology of stem cells and regeneration. Deliverables: This COST Action will interact with the Blue Growth initiatives included in other European science consortia/networks/platforms (Assemble, Euromarine, Eurostemcells, EMBRC, Corbel, ERA-MBT, EuroSyStem, Neurostemcell, Neurostemcellrepair), and will contact participants to current and former EU projects on marine and stem cell science, such as MarBEF, Euroceans, MarineGenomics, OptiStem, ESTOOLS. Therefore, stem cells are not only entities of biological organisation, accountable for the formation and regeneration of specific tissue and organ systems, but also units in the complex evolutionary selection process. The MC will elect during the first MC meeting the Chair, the Vice-Chair, the WG Leaders, the STSM Coordinator/ Committee. MISC further participate in aging and regeneration phenomena, including whole-body regeneration, the knowledge of which can be clinical relevant. Whereas most, if not all, cells of the animal body are equipped with the molecular apparatus for phagocytosis and intracellular digestion, a few cell types are specialized for a highly efficient mode of phagocytosis. Structures and functions of the human digestive system, General features of digestion and absorption, Digestion and absorption of specific nutrients, The gastrointestinal tract as an organ of immunity, Embryology and evolution of the vertebrate digestive system. enzymes) in marine/aquatic invertebrates of potential use in human health, pharmaceutics, • establishing collaborations with industries to exploit MISC as sources of bioactive molecules. Social acceptance of the MISC technology, and marine biotechnology as a whole, faces an important challenge in convincing a large array of stakeholders that, on one hand, it does not build on irresponsible knowledge, and, on the other hand, it can fulfil the numerous promises it has announced. Recent studies have shown that the best groups of organisms for stem cell research are the marine/aquatic invertebrates. Current European marine biotech initiatives are mainly focussed on identifying novel molecules and biosynthetic pathways, but there is a critical lack of cellular models able to express biomolecules and test their effect on environmentally significant organisms. • the medical community interested in alternative molecular mechanisms of aging, differentiation, tumour formation and regeneration operating in marine/aquatic invertebrates; Other vertebrates show other adaptations for increasing the absorptive surface area of the small intestine. Evolution of Digestive Systems Concept Questions 1. Evolution of the digestive system? • Strengthening the European Community on marine/aquatic invertebrate stem cells through data sharing, setting up new collaborations among participants. Evidence Why is this important? The COST Action will start from the date of the first Management Committee meeting and shall be implemented for a period of four (4) years, unless an extension is approved by the CSO following the procedure described in the CSO Decision COST 134/14. • SMEs, in particular: i) the antifouling paint sector that can take advantage from new natural antifouling products preventing the growth of the bacterial film that triggers the adhesion of encrusting organisms, without any concern for the environment and alternative to those currently in use, that have profound effects on the biocoenoses once in the environment; ii) the fine chemical sector, for a wide range of materials; iii) the nutraceutic and cosmetic sector, interested in new useful bioactive molecules; iv) the pharmaceutic and medical device sector, where new antimicrobials are required to face the increasing number of bacterial strains resistant to penicillin-based antibiotics; v) the human health sector, as new antimitotic compounds can be of great help in the treatment of some kinds of cancer; The digestive system is early developed in species with feeding planktonic larvae and appears late in species with direct lecithotrophic development. WG 1 - Developing protocols for raising marine/aquatic invertebrate stem cells under in vitro conditions Main aim of this COST Action is to foster, at the European level, the knowledge of the biology of marine/aquatic invertebrates stem cells (MISC) in order to build innovative ideas relevant to various biomedical disciplines. Task 2.1 - comparative functional genomics and transcriptomics of marine/aquatic invertebrate tissues or derived MISC Following the general scientific trend and to bypass the restrictions imposed by the directive on behalf of the protection of animals, researchers turned to use vertebrate cell lines and primary cultures to get answers to a wide array of biological questions. The loss of teeth and incidence of oral disease increase with age, but, as programs of water…. Socio-economic short term impacts: Most vertebrates above the level of the cyclostomes have a stomach, though of various shapes and sizes (the exceptions are the chimaeras, lungfishes, and a few bony fishes). Up to now, the European MISC-community is highly fragmented and very scarce ties were established with biomedical industries to harness MISC for human welfare. STEM CELLS OF MARINE/AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES: FROM BASIC RESEARCH TO INNOVATIVE These tools are often developed by laboratories that are restricted in their access to suitable and tractable models with which to fully exploit the full potential of their powerful tools and their application to important healthcare problems. There is thus a pressing need for expertise, approaches and tools. 3.2 Publication on conserved detoxification pathways that allows MISC to survive in organisms exposed to altered environmental conditions; 3.1 Publication on genes, signal transduction pathways, proteins involved in development, senescence, regeneration, prevention/induction of cancer of MISC; It stands out from other animals in that it lacks an internal digestive system and, instead, digests food trapped under its lower surface. There is an urgent need to increase the cohesion between scientific institutions and industry in this field via the creation of a COST Network. Ideally, the possibility to produce such bioactive compounds using MISC-derived immortalised cell-lines, would be of great importance in developing societal improvements and advances. In addition, marine invertebrates portray a kaleidoscope of MISC types that participate in the production of this enormous list of novel bioactive molecules, (antitumour, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory) with significant potential interest for human health. Zoomorphologie 85:73. Networking will help to discuss novelties and research results, attract students to the MISC discipline, provide opportunities to mix newcomers with important players in the MISC arena and stem cells biology discipline and learn about the potential offered by the markets. In this regard, then, the modern-day ray-finned fishes are more specialized than amphibians, reptiles, and birds, which retain a cloaca, presumably inherited from a primitive fish ancestor. The most relevant stakeholders are the following: During evolution leading to the chordate lineage, the ancestral chordate employed acidic digestive system and the acidity became extreme in the vertebrate lineage . Some of the various functions of the digestive system are already assigned to specific sections of the digestive tract and cell types, but others still await precise localization. A rapidly growing number of investigations of MISC, as well as a more integrated European scientific community engaged with MISC research, will offer exciting new avenues for advancing knowledge of MISC biology as well as providing novel systems for medical and economical applications. • change of public perception concerning marine invertebrates towards a full awareness of the socio-economic importance of marine biodiversity, promoting the sensible use of marine resources and the protection of the marine environment for future generations. In most reptiles and birds, a pair of longitudinal folds in the roof of the oral cavity forms a passage that leads air from the internal nares to the pharynx. This includes the use of various genotyping approaches to delineate the structure of inter- and intraspecific biodiversity of MISC, as well as the metagenomics approach to MISC, which treats entire organisms (sometimes even populations) as carrying a single living entity. C) PROGRESS BEYOND THE STATE-OF-THE-ART AND INNOVATION POTENTIAL Relationships between digestive strategies and the diet and environment are discussed throughout the text, and brought together in a chapter on the evolution of the digestive system. A) DESCRIPTION OF THE WORK PLAN It is therefore a prime mission to prepare a new generation of talented students for careers in the MISC discipline (research and industry). The marine environment accounts for the great majority of the ecosystems and living species of the Earth and marine biotechnology follows the diverse opportunities emerged, in a wide variety of biotech areas and medical fields from basic research to industrial applications. These observations delineate common and unique properties of MISC, possibly tailored to suit the varied life history traits, ecology and developmental modes characteristic of aquatic invertebrates. There is the need to set up and share good protocols for rearing marine invertebrates and for MISC isolation, culture and phenotyping. Up to now, research on MISC in Europe has been very limited, with scattered expertise, and hampered by low funds and scarce attention by the scientific community. The main risks of the Action are related to scientific tasks of WG1, with a current lack of success in propagating cultures of MISC. C) POTENTIAL FOR INNOVATION VERSUS RISK LEVEL Our lack of knowledge of the xenacoelomorph digestive system is exacerbated by the assumption that, at least in Acoela, which possess a syncytial gut, the digestive system is a derived and specialized tissue with little bearing on what is observed in other bilaterian animals. The need of networking and coordination in this field is so evident that, even in the presence of negative results in establishing immortalised MISC, the Action will undoubtedly generate new tools for research and exert a positive influence on Action Members, next-generation researchers and European researchers in the field of invertebrate stem cells. The latter, with its vast genetic richness, is a potential source of new products of social value, as marine organisms produce molecules (enzymes, biopolymers, bioactive compounds, secondary metabolites) that can find applications in various fields, such as nutraceutics, cosmetics, antibiotics, disease-fighting drugs, antifouling products, biomaterials and more. Stem cell science is an emerging global industry in which European countries fiercely compete for economic advantage in an arena where, currently, USA and Japan dominate. The evolution of xenacoelomorph morphologies. 4.1 Special issue on identified bioactive molecules (antimicrobials, anticancer, opsonins, Other features of advantage include the lining of the intestine, which is thrown into numerous folds and ridges; the small, fingerlike outgrowths, called villi, that cover the entire surface of the mucosa; and the individual epithelial cells that cover the folds and villi and have a border of countless closely packed, cylindrical projections called microvilli. These are the ("professional") macrophages, motile cells that seek out and eliminate pathogenic invaders or damaged cells. Jellyfish 6. They also challenge the existing concepts on the genetic and epigenetic control of stem cell differentiation. Such networking should focus on the biological diversity of MISC and their structures, totipotency properties, development and other understudied, unique or culturally valuable (e.g., aging, cancer), biological/applied aspects. • Coordination of marine/aquatic invertebrate stem cell research, sharing of methodologies/databases used in marine/aquatic invertebrate stem cell research in various European countries and updating of scientific and technical guidelines for standardisation of methods, techniques and protocols, in order to maximise the extent and the quality of the results. STEM CELLS OF MARINE/AQUATIC INVERTEBRATES: FROM BASIC RESEARCH TO INNOVATIVE APPLICATIONS (COST ACTION 16203), Evolution Of Digestive Systems Of Insects, Evolution of the Digestive System (in preparation), [Evolution of digestive pathology in fifty years from the point of view of mineral spring resorts], The ways of food specialization and evolution of the alimentary system in Muroidea. This COST Action aiming at strengthening the European research community on MISC and promoting joined research among Action members on comparative stem cell biology, developing innovative ideas and technology, is the most appropriate tool for significant European progression, breaking through the current state-of-the-art. B) SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES Evolution of Digestive Systems.notebook April 27, 2017 Some fungi digest animals. • new insights on the biology of MISC and on mechanisms that control their in vitro growth.