Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026
07:03
A New Clarification Method to Visualize Biliary Degeneration During Liver Metamorphosis in Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus
Published on: June 6, 2014
13.8K
See-Star: a versatile hydrogel-based protocol for clearing large, opaque and calcified marine invertebrates
D N Clarke1,2, L Formery3,4, C J Lowe3,5
1Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA. clarken@mit.edu.
Evodevo
|June 25, 2024
Summary
See-Star is a novel hydrogel-based tissue clearing protocol that renders opaque invertebrates transparent. This method preserves anatomy for deep-tissue imaging and molecular labeling, aiding developmental studies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Invertebrate anatomy
- Tissue clearing techniques
Background:
- Opaque structures in invertebrates hinder internal feature observation, often requiring destructive sectioning.
- Surgical approaches for studying delicate structures like neural networks are semi-destructive and difficult to reconstruct.
- Existing methods limit whole-mount imaging of juvenile and adult invertebrates.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a non-destructive tissue clearing protocol for opaque invertebrates.
- To enable deep-tissue imaging and molecular labeling of intact invertebrate anatomy.
- To facilitate comparative developmental studies in invertebrates.
Main Methods:
- Developed See-Star, a hydrogel-based tissue clearing protocol.
- Applied the protocol to large invertebrate specimens (> 1 cm³).
- Validated compatibility with molecular techniques like immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization.
Main Results:
- See-Star successfully rendered opaque and calcified invertebrate bodies optically transparent.
- Preserved anatomical integrity, allowing for observation of intact organ systems.
- Enabled whole-mount imaging of nervous systems in juvenile echinoderms and molluscs.
Conclusions:
- See-Star overcomes limitations of traditional methods for studying invertebrate morphology and development.
- The protocol facilitates molecular labeling and deep-tissue imaging of intact specimens.
- Enables extended comparative studies throughout invertebrate development, providing new anatomical insights.
Related Concept Videos
00:46Bioremediation
Bioremediation is the use of prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. This process has been used to remove harmful toxins in groundwater as a byproduct of agricultural run-off and also to clean up oil spills.
02:32Osmoregulation in Fishes
When cells are placed in a hypotonic (low-salt) fluid, they can swell and burst. Meanwhile, cells in a hypertonic solution—with a higher salt concentration—can shrivel and die. How do fish cells avoid these gruesome fates in hypotonic freshwater or hypertonic seawater environments?
01:39Keystone Species
Measures of species biodiversity, such as richness (i.e., the number of species present) and evenness (i.e., their relative abundance), describe an ecological community’s structure. Many factors affect community structure, including abiotic factors (e.g., sunlight and nutrients), disturbances (e.g., fire or flood), species interactions (e.g., predation or competition), and chance events (e.g., foreign species invasion). Certain species—such as keystone species—also play a pivotal role in the...
02:24Comparative Excretory Systems
Animals have evolved different strategies for excretion, the removal of waste from the body. Most waste must be dissolved in water to be excreted, so an animal’s excretory strategy directly affects its water balance.
01:25Microbial Interactions: Mutualism
Mutualism is a symbiotic interaction in which all participating organisms benefit. These relationships can be obligate or facultative and are fundamental to ecosystem functions across diverse biological systems.Plant–Fungi MutualismOne well-known example is the association between plant roots and mycorrhizal fungi, such as Rhizophagus species. The fungal hyphae penetrate the root hairs and the epidermis, forming an extensive hyphal network that establishes a symbiotic association. Through this...
01:30Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems play a key role in the natural breakdown of contaminants introduced through domestic and industrial effluents. Acting as biological catalysts, these microbes change and mineralize a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants under different redox conditions.In oxygen-rich surface waters, aerobic heterotrophs lead organic matter breakdown, using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor to efficiently oxidize substrates to carbon dioxide and water.