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Apr 24 2025
2In a lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, biologist Bob Goldstein and his research team are taking a creative approach to animal biology by studying one of nature’s toughest creatures: the tardigrade. These microscopic animals, also known as water bears, are renowned for their ability to withstand extreme conditions that would typically be lethal to most life forms. Their unique biology and compact, transparent body structure make them ideal subjects for cutting-edge research on survival and body plan evolution.
Tardigrades are tiny, translucent organisms with eight legs. They naturally inhabit environments ranging from soil and moss to the harshest places on Earth—mountaintops, ocean depths, and even Antarctica. Goldstein’s group uses fluorescent dyes to study these animals under the microscope, gaining insights into how they thrive despite desiccation, extreme temperatures, and high doses of radiation.
Goldstein’s fascination with tardigrades began during his early days as a developmental biologist. Originally working with Caenorhabditis elegans, he became intrigued by how animal shapes evolved through genetic changes. In the late 1990s, it was discovered that C. elegans and Drosophila belonged to the Ecdysozoa clade. Eager to study another organism within this group—but one distinct from arthropods and nematodes—he turned to tardigrades.
After collecting different species from nature and commercial suppliers, Goldstein identified one species, Hypsibius exemplaris, as particularly promising. It possessed small, rapidly dividing cells and a clear body, making it easier to observe under a microscope without invasive procedures. These traits closely matched those of C. elegans, providing a comparative model for studying development and evolutionary changes.
One of the most intriguing aspects of tardigrade biology is their simplified body plan. Unlike segmented models like Drosophila, tardigrades exhibit only one head segment and four body segments. This stripped-down anatomy suggests that they may have lost large portions of their ancestral body structure during evolution. Goldstein’s team is particularly interested in this phenomenon and what it reveals about animal development.
Beyond structure, the lab delves into how tardigrades survive conditions thought to be incompatible with life. They produce unique protein protectants and boast powerful repair mechanisms. Goldstein’s lab has already published research on how tardigrades endure dehydration and radiation, though he believes their discoveries are just scratching the surface. These survival tools may even have biomedical applications, such as extending the shelf life of pharmaceuticals.
Working with tardigrades comes with both advantages and challenges. They are low-maintenance, living in spring water and feeding on algae. However, the field lacks the robust toolkit available for other model organisms. This gap demands innovation. For instance, Goldstein’s lab developed an RNA interference (RNAi) technique to investigate protective proteins, while other researchers have since expanded capabilities with CRISPR and transgenic methods.
To understand what substances can penetrate tardigrade cells, the team soaked them in fluorescently tagged molecules and used electroporation to increase permeability. These experiments helped identify markers for sub-cellular compartments, which are crucial for refining genetic tools like RNAi and CRISPR.
In another inventive approach, former lab member Jonathan Hibshman constructed a cDNA library of tardigrade genes expressed in bacteria. By exposing the bacteria to extreme stress and sequencing the survivors, he was able to pinpoint genes responsible for extreme resistance—without relying on traditional forward genetic screening within the animals.
Bob Goldstein compares their work to a hard-fought battle, one in which creative thinking often leads to scientific victories. With every new technique and discovery, his lab gets one step closer to unraveling the secrets that make tardigrades the ultimate survivalists.
Source:https://www.the-scientist.com/getting-creative-with-an-extreme-animal-model-72940
This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.
