Biography

Our lab has been focused on developing Botryllus schlosseri into an accessible model organism for a variety of studies. Botryllus is amenable to genetic analysis and we have developed mariculture conditions to rear and cross this organism entirely in the laboratory, and created inbred lines.

As a Urochordate, Botryllus represents the evolutionary link between vertebrates and invertebrates. Botryllus is born a tadpole larva with many chordate characteristics, including a notochord, gill slits, and a dorsal hollow nerve tube. This form is alive for several hours, after which it undergoes a metamorphosis during which many of the chordate characteristics are lost, resulting in a sessile, invertebrate adult body plan.

In addition, B. schlosseri is a colonial organism, and this initial metamorphosis is followed by a lifelong, recurring asexual budding process, resulting in an expanding colony of genetically identical individuals (called zooids) united by a common vasculature. The holy trinity of the De Tomaso lab is the interface of allorecognition, pluripotent stem cells and asexual development.

Tony De Tomaso's Abstract