A common mechanical sensing mechanism controls sea urchins and humans skeletal formation

Prof. Smadar Ben-Tabou de-Leon and her team from the Laboratory for Regulation and Evolution of Development (RED Lab) at the Department of Marine Biology have made a groundbreaking discovery, now published in the prestigious journal PNAS!

The study uncovered an unexpected similarity between skeletal formation in sea urchins and bone development in humans. The researchers identified a shared mechanical sensing circuit in both organisms that detects skeletal rigidity and regulates its growth.

This significant discovery enhances our understanding of fundamental biological processes and may pave the way for developing innovative treatments for pathological calcification.

Research Team: Dr. Majed Layous, Dr. Tsvia Gildor, Tovah Nehrer, and Areen Qassem from Prof. Ben-Tabou de-Leon’s lab, along with Prof. Haguy Wolfenson from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

• Read the full paper in PNAS
• Explore the Haaretz article
• Listen to Prof. Ben-Tabou de-Leon’s interview on the “Three Who Know” program (starts at 29:30)

📸 The image displays focal adhesion complexes around the sea urchin larval skeleton, which allow cells to sense biominerals.
Image credit: Dr. Tsvia Gildor.