Coupling astogenic aging in the colonial tunicate Botryllus schlosseri with the stress protein mortalin

Botryllus schlosseri, a colonial marine invertebrate, exhibits three generations of short-lived astogenic modules that continuously grow and die throughout the colony's entire lifespan, within week-long repeating budding cycles (blastogenesis), each consisting of four stages (A-D). At stage D, aging is followed by the complete absorption of adult modules (zooids) via a massive apoptotic process. Here we studied in Botryllus the protein mortalin (HSP70s member), a molecule largely known for its association with aging and proliferation. In-situ hybridization and qPCR assays reveal that mortalin follows the cyclic pattern of blastogenesis. Colonies at blastogenic stage D display the highest mortalin levels, and young modules exhibit elevated mortalin levels compared to old modules. Manipulations of mortalin with the specific allosteric inhibitor MKT-077 has led to a decrease in the modules’ growth rate and the development of abnormal somatic/germinal morphologies (primarily in vasculature and in organs such as the endostyle, the stomach and gonads). We therefore propose that mortalin plays a significant role in the astogeny and aging of colonial modules in B. schlosseri, by direct involvement in the regulation of blastogenesis.