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Cassiosomes are stinging-cell structures in the mucus of the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana
Ames, Cheryl L. Klompen, Anna Badhiwala, Krishna Muffett, Kade Reft, Abigail J. Kumar, Mehr Janssen, Jennie D. Schultzhaus, Janna N. Field, Lauren D. Muroski, Megan E.
Ames, Cheryl L.
Klompen, Anna
Badhiwala, Krishna
Muffett, Kade
Reft, Abigail J.
Kumar, Mehr
Janssen, Jennie D.
Schultzhaus, Janna N.
Field, Lauren D.
Muroski, Megan E.
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Abstract
Snorkelers in mangrove forest waters inhabited by the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana report discomfort due to a sensation known as stinging water, the cause of which is unknown. Using a combination of histology, microscopy, microfluidics, videography, molecular biology, and mass spectrometry-based proteomics, we describe C. xamachana stinging-cell structures that we term cassiosomes. These structures are released within C. xamachana mucus and are capable of killing prey. Cassiosomes consist of an outer epithelial layer mainly composed of nematocytes surrounding a core filled by endosymbiotic dinoflagellates hosted within amoebocytes and presumptive mesoglea. Furthermore, we report cassiosome structures in four additional jellyfish species in the same taxonomic group as C. xamachana (Class Scyphozoa; Order Rhizostomeae), categorized as either motile (ciliated) or nonmotile types. This inaugural study provides a qualitative assessment of the stinging contents of C. xamachana mucus and implicates mucus containing cassiosomes and free intact nematocytes as the cause of stinging water.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Date
2020-02-03
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Nature Research
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Keywords
Animal physiology, Cellular imaging, Evolutionary developmental biology
Citation
Ames, C. L., Klompen, A., Badhiwala, K., Muffett, K., Reft, A. J., Kumar, M., Janssen, J. D., Schultzhaus, J. N., Field, L. D., Muroski, M. E., Bezio, N., Robinson, J. T., Leary, D. H., Cartwright, P., Collins, A. G., & Vora, G. J. (2020). Cassiosomes are stinging-cell structures in the mucus of the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana. Communications biology, 3(1), 67. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-020-0777-8