Jellyfish Heal Wounds in Minutes. Scientists Want Their Secrets.
This article from the Marine Biological Laboratory covers recent research by Jocelyn Malamy (University of Chicago) on the wound healing mechanism of the transparent jellyfish Clytia hemisphaerica. The medusae heal tiny wounds in minutes and larger ones in under an hour, without scarring. Their transparency allows real-time observation of epithelial cell movements in live animals. Malamy's new paper in Molecular Biology of the Cell shows that all epithelial wound healing is driven by two sequential cellular structures: first, lamellipodia act like foot-like feelers to crawl across the basement membrane, dragging cells forward; then, an actomyosin cable forms at the lamellipodia base and contracts like a purse string to close the wound. For large wounds with basement membrane damage, collective cell migration of the entire epithelial sheet occurs. This work reconciles previous conflicting observations across organisms and wound types. Relevant for engineers interested in developmental biology, regenerative medicine, and cell mechanics.