THE IMMORTAL JELLYFISHGEOFF DERVEN / BIOLOGY 342 / FALL 2010 |
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MECHANISMMechanism is the study of the “material” workings of an animal’s behavior. Through examining the hormonal, neuronal, physiological, and otherwise somatic factors that lead to an organism’s particular condition, we can grasp the most literal understanding of how an action manages to “work.” Just the same, mechanism is not entirely a question of bodily logistics, but also incorporates an animal’s environmental context – rather, how externalized inputs may initiate a particular response. Here we do not consider how something came to be, nor to what end it serves, but rather how the behavioral process itself actually occurs. An anatomized T. nutricula medusa: EP= epidermis, OM = outer mesogloea, EN = endoderm, IM = inner mesogloea, SM = striated muscle, GC = gastral cavity, RC = radial canals, RIC = ring canal, T = tentacle (Piraino, et al., 1996).
The maturation of cells also particularizes their function (Collas & Håkelien, 2003). Transdifferentiation, then, is something seemingly altogether different, as it allows for already differentiated cells to switch to entirely new functions. As T. nutricula medusae devolve into polyps, their particular tissues have to be dissolved, regenerated, reorganized, and – most importantly – reprogrammed for a new function. This process could not simply occur by de-differentiating, but instead through a deeper sort of metamorphosis (Collas & Håkelien, 2003; Piraino, et al., 1996), transforming the very cells themselves.
The non-alike processes of cellular differentiation and transdifferentiation (Collas & Håkelien, 2003). To better pursue such complexities as these, Piraino, et al. (1996) isolated various components of T. nutricula medusae. They sought to localize the mechanism (or mechanisms) through which the medusae’s restorative potential is enacted, dissecting the organism into fragments. The cultured results suggest that the presence of various cells of the exumbrella and the gastrovascular system are necessary for its transformative processes to occur. But what is particular about these cells – and what exactly is required of them – remains unclear (Piraino, et al., 1996). Once the most foundational aspects of these mechanistic hurdles are solved, further research may allow for us to understand the furthest depths of transdifferentiation – perhaps even learning to train our own cells. If the lasting stability of transdifferentiated cells proves to be sufficient, we may eventually see such a process become a vital player in the search for cures for cancer or diabetes, providing potential breakthroughs in the ever-growing field of cell therapy (Collas & Håkelien, 2003). |