In 1993, a project was initiated among labs in Japan, Germany, and the United States to identify bioactive peptides from Hydra. For a review of the history of the project, click here. The following papers have been published from the project:
Toshio Takahashi, Yojiro Muneoka, Jan Lohmann, Maria S. Lopez De Haro, Gaby Solleder, Thomas C.G. Bosch, Charles N. David, Hans R. Bode, Osamu Koizumi, Hiroshi Shimizu, Masayuki Hatta, Toshitaka Fujisawa, and Tsutomu Sugiyama (1997). Systematic isolation of peptide signal molecules regulating development in hydra: LWamide and PW families. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 1241–1246. (PDF file)
Seungshic Yum, Toshio Takahashi,* Osamu Koizumi, Yuki Ariura, Yoshitaka Kobayakawa, Shirou Mohri, and Toshitaka Fujisawa (1998). A Novel Neuropeptide, Hym-176, Induces Contraction of the Ectodermal Muscle in Hydra. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 248: 584–590. (PDF file)
Seungshic Yum, Toshio Takahashi, Masayuki Hatta, Toshitaka Fujisawa (1998). The structure and expression of a preprohormone of a neuropeptide, Hym-176 in Hydra magnipapillata. FEBS Letters 439: 31-34. (PDF file)
Gaby Kumpfmüller, Vassili Rybakine, Toshio Takahashi, Toshitaka Fujisawa, Thomas C.G. Bosch (1999). Identification of an astacin matrix metalloprotease as target gene for Hydrafoot activator peptides. Dev. Genes Evol. 209:601–607. (PDF file)
Ann Grens, Hiroshi Shimizu, Sabine A. H. Hoffmeister, Hans R. Bode, and Toshitaka Fujisawa (1999). The novel signal peptides, Pedibin and Hym-346, lower positional value thereby enhancing foot formation in Hydra. Development 126: 517-524. (PDF file)
Toshio Takahashi, Osamu Koizumi, Yuki Ariura, Anna Romanovitch, Thomas C. G. Bosch, Yoshitaka Kobayakawa, Shiro Mohri, Hans R. Bode, Seungshic Yum, Masayuki Hatta, and Toshitaka Fujisawa (2000). A novel neuropeptide, Hym-355, positively regulates neuron differentiation in Hydra. Development 127, 997-1005. (PDF file)
Naoe Harafuji, Toshio Takahashi, Masayuki Hatta, Hideo Tezuka, Fumihiro Morishita, Osamu Matsushima, and Toshitaka Fujisawa (2001). Enhancement of foot formation in Hydraby a novel epitheliopeptide, Hym-323. Development 128, 437-446. (PDF file)