School of Science Department of Ocean Science 59 Exploring the Mechanisms of the Reverse Development of Immortal Jellyfish Turritopsis Supervisor: WU Longjun / OCES Student: ZHUANG Boyi / BCB-IRE Course: UROP 1100, Summer The Wnt pathway is a highly evolutionarily conserved biochemical pathway that is highly important in embryonic development and carcinogenesis. The pathway, named after its ligand the Wnt-protein, is crucial for the development of body axis, decision of cell fate, cell proliferation and cell migration. The Wnt pathway also exist in cnidarians and is responsible for a variety of developmental processes. In this experiment, we observed its importance in the unique developmental process called reverse development in the newly discovered hydrozoan species Gallifreya. Here we activated the Wnt and observed the reverse development process. The result implies that Wnt pathway become inactivated during reverse development. These results help elucidate the roles of the Wnt pathway in unique developmental stages. Learning of Basic Molecular Biology Skills in Non-Model Marine Organisms Supervisor: WU Longjun / OCES Student: HO Yam Man / OST Course: UROP 1000, Summer This report documents the research on a jellyfish conducted over the past month. Including feeding protocols, sampling techniques and what was done over the time. Key findings emphasize the jellyfish’s resilience and potential implications for future marine research. Establishing a consistent supply of jellyfish is essential for further exploration of the molecular mechanisms underpinning their reverse development and other biological processes. Marine Animal Bioinformatics Supervisor: WU Longjun / OCES Student: HUI Wang Kit Zachary / BCB Course: UROP 2100, Summer This report outlines the training I have completed and my planned roadmap in preparation for marine bioinformatics research. The ultimate aim of my research is to study the evolution of marine invertebrates using bioinformatic tools. To achieve this, I am building foundational knowledge from the ground up. I have completed training on how to access and operate remote university laboratory machines using SSH and remote shell, as well as navigating the Linux operating system. I am currently learning R and Python, the core programming languages most widely used in RNA sequencing analysis, along with shell scripting. This training prepares me to analyze RNA sequencing data and gain familiarity with single-cell RNA sequencing and pseudotime analysis. In particular, I am learning R to use specialized packages such as Seurat (for single-cell RNA-seq analysis) and Monocle 3 (for pseudotime trajectory analysis).
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