クラゲの遺伝学ことはじめ

摘要

Cladonema, a Hydrozoa class in having a free-swimming jellyfish form as well as a polyp, is developing as an experimental model animal of cnidarians. In this review, I introduce two Cladonema species, Cladonema radiatum and Cladonema pacificum and our studies such as circadian rhythm, sleep, and oogenesis using these species. Cladonema has proved well suited to laboratory culture and to gene function analysis in various biological phenomena. With a full genome sequence and simplicity to handle for genetic studies, Cladonema is well placed to provide invaluable information on mechanisms in behavioral biology as well as in cell and developmental biology and evolution.