03-P130 Pax3 and Pax7 play key functions in craniofacial development

The study of wound closure is important for the advancement of medicinal applications in surgical scar healing, as well as initiation of tissue regeneration. Research on wound closure has primarily focused on vertebrate models, although the process is found throughout all animal groups. Non-vertebrate models provide efficient cost-effective tools for examining the general properties necessary for wound repair and regeneration, generating novel targets for clinically translatable studies of vertebrates. Non-vertebrate models can also provide evolutionary insight and help fill the gaps between animals that exhibit extraordinary regenerative capabilities and those with more limited capabilities. We chose to address the process of wound closure in the basal cnidarian, Nematostella vectensis, because it readily regenerates in lab, has a sequenced genome, and its phylogenetic position gives direct insight into bilaterian evolution. We used multiple techniques, including: in situ hybridization, quantitative pcr, immunohistochemistry, and confocal microscopy to determine the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in Nematostella wound healing. Nematostella’s wound healing response exhibits conserved molecular mechanisms such as apoptosis and MAPK signaling, while the behavior of transcription factor grainyhead (found in flies and mice to be necessary for epidermal barrier formation) is also conserved. Perturbation of the MAPK pathway also inhibits wound closure and confirms functional conservation of wound healing mechanisms. This study shows that the process of wound closure in metazoans is well conserved between basal cnidarians and vertebrates and provides a new model for medicinal applications.