SPONGE CELL

INTERACTIONS DURING
AGGREGATION
By: Andrew Reed , Paul Pechous
Date: May 12th, 2015

INTRODUCTION
Developing and differentiating cell systems have a
choice
Cells can come together
Cells can go separate ways
Different conditions and signals promote this process
Temperature
Ions
Time
Etc.
So what are important variables in cell-cell interactions
and how can we study this in some way?

Sponges
Sponges are primitive animals
Provide simple systems to study
Two different cells layers
Calcium carbonate skeleton
Collagen-like fibers called spongin
Sponges can be dispersed into individual cells
Cells can re-aggregate
Even re-form an organism
Makes for a great model organism to study cell-cell
aggregation and cell sorting
(Keller, 1999)

METHODS
Variables: Temperature, Solvent, Solute, Time.
Two different temperatures 4C and 20C.
Two different solvents- Sea water (SW) and
Calcium magnesium free sea water (CaMgFSW)
Four different sugar solutes glucose,
galactose, glucuronic acid, galacturonic acid.
Picture time intervals picture was taken every
thirty minutes starting at 0 min to 120 min (5
pictures). Then one picture at 24 hours and one
picture at 48 hours.
Quantified aggregation for each time period

 P value : 0.001<0.05
Calcium Magnesium free Sea Water
mean point value= 2.304
Sea Water
mean point value= 151.482
20 C temp
mean point value= 151.661
4 C temp
mean point value= 2.125

Hypothesis: we believe that the variables of time

and temperature will have a significant effect on the
cellular aggregation of the Red Ball sponge.
P value of 0.001 confirms that results were not due to
chance.
Difference in means of the two solvents of Sea Water
and Calcium Magnesium free Sea Water and the two
temperatures of 20 C and 4 C both were significant.
mean 20 C= 151.667
mean SW= 151.482
2.304

mean 4 C= 2.125
mean CaMgFSW=

The variable of temperature is shown in our results and data to have a

significant effect on the amount of sponge cell aggregation. Increase in
temperature causes an increase in amount of cell aggregation just as
decrease in temperature causes a decrease in cell aggregation. These
temperature specific results are confirmed in other works such as the
experiment performed by Elena Zocchi and partners titled The
temperature-signaling cascade in sponges involves a heat-gated cation
channel,
abscisic acid, and cyclic ADP-ribose.

(Zocchi, 2001)

WORK CITED:
Keller, Laura R., John H. Evans, and Thomas C. S. Keller. "Cell-Cell Interactions During Sponge
Aggregation." Experimental Developmental Biology: A Laboratory Manual. San Diego:
Academic, 1999. 47-52. Print.
Zocchi, E., A. Carpaneto, C. Cerrano, G. Bavestrello, M. Giovine, S. Bruzzone, L. Guida, L.
Franco, and C. Usai. "The Temperature-signaling Cascade in Sponges Involves a Heat-gated
Cation Channel, Abscisic Acid, and Cyclic ADP-ribose." Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences 98.26 (2001): 14859-4864. Web. 14 May 2015.