Tetsuhiro Kudoh

Abstract The shells of molluscs are iconic structures of invertebrate exoskeletons supporting and protecting their soft body parts. The shell matrix molecules are synthesized and secreted from a shell-producing tissue, the shell gland. Shell gland cells develop at the early trochophore stage of the larvae. To date, the molecular signalling pathways by which the shell gland forms and starts to secrete the shell remains elusive.

Abstract The shells of molluscs are iconic structures of invertebrate exoskeletons supporting and protecting their soft body parts. The shell matrix molecules are synthesized and secreted from a shell-producing tissue, the shell gland. Shell gland cells develop at the early trochophore stage of the larvae. To date, the molecular signalling pathways by which the shell gland forms and starts to secrete the shell remains elusive.

Abstract The mangrove killifish, Krypotlebias marmoratus, is an intriguing vertebrate species, known for its unusual sexual systems. It is one of two known self-fertilizing simultaneous hermaphroditic vertebrates, alongside the related Kryptolebias ocellatus. While individuals can be born as primary males, this is rare in the wild and most are born as hermaphrodites, around 60% then turning into secondary males at 3 to 4 years of age. K.