Sea cucumbers: emerging systems for developmental biology.
We keep in the lab the clear sea cucumber Leptosynapta tenuis
We are working with the local sea cucumber Leptosynapta tenuis, a clear, slender, worm-shaped hermaphrodite species that is understudied. We are exploring how L. tenuis nervous system coordinates tentacle behaviors for burrowing and we are studying its reproductive season.
Check out our article on The Node! A day in the life of a sea cucumber lab: The adventure of a brave ENGAGE-Bio post-bac scholar at the MBL who set up a new sea cucumber species in the Perillo lab.
Leptosynapta tenuis
Holothuria tubulosa, an emerging system to study embryonic development
In collaboration with the Annunziata group at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn (SZN, Italy) we are investigating the embryonic and larval development of the sea cucumber Holothuria tubulosa.
This project is partially funded by a SDB Emerging Research Organism Grant awarded to Margherita.
Perillo, M., Alessandro, T., Toscano, A., & Annunziata, R. (2024). Larval development of Holothuria tubulosa, a new tractable system for evo-devo. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 12, 1409174.
Perillo, M., Sepe, R. M., Paganos, P., Toscano, A., & Annunziata, R. (2024). Sea cucumbers: an emerging system in evo-devo. EvoDevo, 15(1), 3.
Holothuria tubulosa
Embryonic and larval development of Asterias forbesi, a sea star species from the US East Coast available at the MBL
How has organ morphogenesis evolved among species? We found that in A. forbesi larva the HVO organ develops through steps that are different from other sea stars, as the tubes elongate anteriorly only at later stages. We are now using a comparative approach to investigate the molecular basis of organ evolution.
Marc, T. K., Rodger, A., & Perillo, M. (2026). Comparative analysis of Asterias forbesi development reveals distinct mechanisms of hydro-vascular organ formation across sea stars. Discover Developmental Biology, 236(1), 4.
A. forbesi larva