Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 13, 2026

Generation of Transgenic Hydra by Embryo Microinjection
Published on: September 11, 2014
The Hydra FGF family - dispersed across the genome and expressed locally
Kerstin Ohler1, Lisa Reichart1, Lars Kneifert1
1Philipps University, Molecular Zoology, Marburg, Germany.
Abstract:
Although the nonbilaterian Hydra has a simple body architecture, its signaling systems are as complex as those of Bilateria. We here add data to the fibroblast growth factor signaling system which has previously been identified in Hydra as essential for bud detachment. The localized expression patterns of its, now fifteen, FGFs indicate additional, yet unidentified, functions in sometimes very small subsets of cells at the body termini and/or during budding or in testes. Presence of a typical signal sequence (prediction >93%) in only 30% of the Hydra FGFs suggests mechanisms of action (and/or secretion) other than the canonical ones. A knockdown approach using siRNA revealed a potential role for Hv-FGF-c in tentacle morphogenesis. Our results document a high complexity of FGF signaling sites in Hydra and open the field for a detailed analysis of their functions.
Related Concept Videos
Reporter Genes
Activation and Inactivation of G Proteins
Hedgehog Signaling Pathway
General Transcription Factors
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
Exon Recombination
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon...

