Researchers have made an astounding discovery about the regenerative abilities of the comb jelly Mnemiopsis leidyi. This remarkable species can fuse after sustaining injuries, seamlessly merging their nervous systems, digestive tracts, and muscle contractions. The insights gained from this study could have far-reaching implications for regenerative research and our understanding of the immune system.
Astonishing Self-Healing Abilities of Comb Jellies
Scientists from the University of Exeter and the National Institutes of Natural Sciences in Okazaki, Japan have discovered an evolutionary innovation that for the first time allows them to be part animal, human, and plant. This species also has a strange ability to heal by merging bodies following injury, till they are essentially one organism.
In experiments where researchers maintained a population of comb jellies in a seawater tank,{“type”: “references”, “properties”: {“what”: [Augusto Barausse, Nicole Majringer, Agata Wolińska-Nizakowska, Jan mrós. There was one big one that looked like there are two butts in it, and two eyespots (apical organs). Attracted by this finding the scientists took partial lobes out of different people and introduced two half lobes together. To their surprise nine times out of ten the damaged jellyfish fused into a single organism, and this new amalgam of two surviving jellies lived for at least three weeks.
Seamless Fusion and Synchronized Nervous System Integration
They were astounded by the speed and efficiency of that fusion. In One Night They’d Merged Together, the Original Two-Person Interaction Dissolved into Each Other When the scientists prodded another lobe of this fused comb jelly, the whole body responded with a strong startle response — clear evidence that their nervous systems had integrated.
Additional investigation showed that after an hour or so the timing of muscle contractions in each lobe began to coordinate, and within two hours 95% of a joined animal’s muscle contractions were exactly in time. Additionally, the scientists noted that the digestive tracts were connected and when bright green-glowing brine shrimp (given to one of the heads) passed through it funneled into the large shared canal and then finally exs-filtrated from both anuses.
Implications for Regenerative Research and the Immune System
The fusion of the comb jellies’ nervous systems and lack of a clear allorecognition system (a means to differentiate self from non-self) may be poised to have huge implications for regenerative research and our understanding of immunity according to the team.
The allorecognition mechanisms belong to the immune system, and nervous system fusion is part of regeneration research, explains Jokura. Understanding the molecular mechanism responsible for this fusion might therefore help to drive these critical research areas forward. Scientists believe that further research into the comb jelly’s ability to regenerate will likely inform new treatments in areas such as tissue engineering, organ transplantation, and the cure of neurodegenerative diseases.
“The allorecognition mechanisms are related to the immune system, and the fusion of nervous systems is closely linked to research on regeneration,” says Kei Jokura, one of the study’s authors. “Unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying this fusion could advance these crucial research areas.” Future studies on the comb jelly’s remarkable regenerative abilities may provide insights that could lead to breakthroughs in fields such as tissue engineering, organ transplantation, and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.
