Morphological and physiological aspects of mutable collagenous tissue at the autotomy plane of the starfish Asterias rubens L. (Echinodermata, Asteroidea): an echinoderm paradigm

Wilkie, I. C. and Candida Carnevali, M. D. (2023) Morphological and physiological aspects of mutable collagenous tissue at the autotomy plane of the starfish Asterias rubens L. (Echinodermata, Asteroidea): an echinoderm paradigm. Marine Drugs, 21(3), 138. (doi: 10.3390/md21030138) (PMID:36976186) (PMCID:PMC10058165)

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Abstract

The mutable collagenous tissue (MCT) of echinoderms has the capacity to undergo changes in its tensile properties within a timescale of seconds under the control of the nervous system. All echinoderm autotomy (defensive self-detachment) mechanisms depend on the extreme destabilisation of mutable collagenous structures at the plane of separation. This review illustrates the role of MCT in autotomy by bringing together previously published and new information on the basal arm autotomy plane of the starfish Asterias rubens L. It focuses on the MCT components of breakage zones in the dorsolateral and ambulacral regions of the body wall, and details data on their structural organisation and physiology. Information is also provided on the extrinsic stomach retractor apparatus whose involvement in autotomy has not been previously recognised. We show that the arm autotomy plane of A. rubens is a tractable model system for addressing outstanding problems in MCT biology. It is amenable to in vitro pharmacological investigations using isolated preparations and provides an opportunity for the application of comparative proteomic analysis and other “-omics” methods which are aimed at the molecular profiling of different mechanical states and characterising effector cell functions.

Item Type:Articles
Additional Information:The authors’ research referred to in this review received financial support from the Royal Society (London), the Scottish Association for Marine Science, Glasgow Caledonian University and the University of Milan.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Wilkie, Dr Iain
Authors: Wilkie, I. C., and Candida Carnevali, M. D.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Journal Name:Marine Drugs
Publisher:MDPI
ISSN:1660-3397
ISSN (Online):1660-3397
Published Online:22 February 2023
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2023 The Authors
First Published:First published in Marine Drugs 21(3): 138
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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