08/06/2026
📚 From the Literature: Exploring Regeneration in Jellyfish 🪼
🎉 Congratulations to Yiqian Li, Sean T.S. Law, Wenyan Nong, Jerome H.L. Hui, and colleagues on their publication in Molecular Biology and Evolution exploring tissue remodeling and regeneration in two species of true jellyfish.
Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the team profiled bell tissue remodeling and regeneration in the Asian moon jellyfish, Aurelia coerulea, and the flame jellyfish, Rhopilema esculentum. They identified 12 cell populations in each species and uncovered conserved, sequential changes during remodeling and regeneration, with proliferative, gastrodermal, neural, and secretory gland cells active early in the process, followed by cnidocytes in a later phase. The study also identified conserved transcription factors and signaling pathways associated with tissue remodeling and regeneration, including Otx, TFAP2A, Erg, NFIA, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
🧬 To support these analyses, the researchers generated a new Aurelia genome assembly using PacBio HiFi and Dovetail Omni-C data. The improved assembly significantly increased sequence continuity and enabled mapping rates of approximately 90–92% for the single-cell RNA-seq reads, providing a stronger genomic foundation for the study. Dovetail Genomics also contributed directly to the genome assembly and sequencing workflow.
👏 We're proud to have supported this work and excited to see Dovetail technologies helping researchers uncover the cellular and molecular basis of regeneration in understudied marine organisms.
🔗 Read the publication:
Abstract. The phylum Cnidaria is the outgroup of Bilateria and includes sea anemones, corals, hydroids, and jellyfish. Cnidarians play crucial ecological r