Download Project nglif016b abstract

Abstract
We propose to sequence, assemble and annotate the genome of the clonal cnidarian,
Hydractinia. In NUI Galway Hydractinia has been used as a model for stem cell
biology and regeneration because, in contrast to mammals, this animal maintains a
population of pluripotent stem cells and the ability to regenerate any lost body part as
an adult. Through a research project, funded under the SFI Principal Investigator
programme, we are currently investigating the molecular mechanisms that control the
fate of stem cells in this basal invertebrate. Being small and translucent, Hydractinia
offers several advantages for stem cell research by allowing tracking of individual,
labeled cells in vivo, hence opening new avenues for stem cell research that are not
feasible in mammals. A genome sequence from Hydractinia would significantly
augment its value as a model organism for the study of pluripotency and stem cell fate
determination. In particular this would enable the investigation of intergenic
regulatory regions that control gene expression and the efficient application of new
sequence based genomics technologies (e.g. RNA-seq, bisulphite-seq and ChIP-seq)
to understand the transcriptional networks and epigenetic modifications that maintain
pluripotency and determine lineage commitment.