The freshwater polyp Hydra has a remarkable regenerative capacity in the animal kingdom and has attracted researchers for almost 300 years. Several global and integrative genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic approaches have shown that most signalling pathways and transcription factors found in humans and other vertebrates are already present in Hydra and other cnidarians. An important finding of our global analysis is that the Wnt signalling pathway plays a central role in the regeneration process. Wnt genes are deeply embedded in metazoan genomes. We have shown that the complete repertoire of Wnt gene families known from vertebrates is present in cnidarians. Most Wnt genes are activated in a cascade-like manner (Wnt code) during pattern and axis formation. We are now dissecting the specific functions of different Wnt ligands and analysing their interplay with physical cues during regeneration. Key findings from our global analysis indicate that Wnt signalling has a dual function in the regeneration process. In the early phase, Wnt is activated generically as part of the general injury response, and in a second phase of pattern formation, it is activated in a position-specific manner. Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) play a crucial role in the early activation of Wnts. Our aim is to provide a mechanistic understanding of how biochemical (Wnt signalling) and biophysical (mechanical) cues interact and how specific functions of different Wnt ligands have been established in one of the most ancient signalling centres (Hydra head organiser) in animal evolution.

15:15: Coffee Break

15:30: Dr. Sieun Sung (C1, AG Ott): Competitive Loading of Amino Acid onto tRNA

15:45: Carsten Baltes (A10, AG Lautenschläger): Actin filament length is crucial in mesenchymal migration but not in amoeboid migration

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