Université de Fribourg

Hematological analysis of the ascidian Botrylloides leachii (Savigny, 1816) during whole-body regeneration

Blanchoud, Simon ; Zondag, Lisa ; Lamare, Miles D. ; Wilson, Megan J.

In: The Biological Bulletin, 2017, vol. 232, no. 3, p. 143–157

Whole-body regeneration (WBR)—the formation of an entire adult from only a small fragment of its own tissue—is extremely rare among chordates. Exceptionally, in the colonial ascidian Botrylloides leachii (Savigny, 1816) a fully functional adult is formed from their common vascular system after ablation of all adults from the colony in just 10 d, thanks to their high blastogenetic...

Université de Fribourg

De novo draft assembly of the Botrylloides leachii genome provides further insight into tunicate evolution

Blanchoud, Simon ; Rutherford, Kim ; Zondag, Lisa ; Gemmell, Neil J. ; Wilson, Megan J.

In: Scientific Reports, 2018, vol. 8, no. 1, p. -

Tunicates are marine invertebrates that compose the closest phylogenetic group to the vertebrates. These chordates present a particularly diverse range of regenerative abilities and life-history strategies. Consequently, tunicates provide an extraordinary perspective into the emergence and diversity of these traits. Here we describe the genome sequencing, annotation and analysis of the...