Editing Jellyfish (section)

===== Comparison with other organisms =====
Comparative research on genetic and molecular makeup of box jellyfishes' eyes versus more derived eyes seen in vertebrates and cephalopods focuses on: lenses and [[crystallin]] composition, [[synapse]]s, and [[Pax genes]] and their implied evidence for shared primordial (ancestral) genes in eye evolution.<ref name="Piatigorsky-1989">{{cite journal|vauthors=Piatigorsky J, Horwitz J, Kuwabara T, Cutress C |title=The Cellular Eye Lens and Crystallins of Cubomedusan Jellyfish |journal=Journal of Comparative Physiology A |volume=164 |issue=5 |year=1989 |pages=577–587 |doi=10.1007/bf00614500|pmid=2565398 |s2cid=19797109 }}</ref>

Box jellyfish eyes are said to be an evolutionary/developmental model of all eyes based on their evolutionary recruitment of crystallins and Pax genes.<ref name="Piatigorsky-2004" /> Research done on box jellyfish including ''[[Tripedalia cystophora]]'' has suggested that they possess a single Pax gene, PaxB. PaxB functions by binding to crystallin promoters and activating them. PaxB [[in situ hybridization]] resulted in PaxB expression in the lens, retina, and [[statocyst]]s.<ref name="Piatigorsky-2004" /> These results and the rejection of the prior hypothesis that Pax6 was an ancestral Pax gene in eyes has led to the conclusion that PaxB was a primordial gene in eye evolution, and that the eyes of all organisms likely share a common ancestor.<ref name="Piatigorsky-2004" />

The lens structure of box jellyfish appears very similar to those of other organisms, but the crystallins are distinct in both function and appearance.<ref name="Piatigorsky-1989" /> Weak reactions were seen within the sera and there were very weak sequence similarities within the crystallins among vertebrate and invertebrate lenses.<ref name="Piatigorsky-1989" /> This is likely due to differences in lower molecular weight proteins and the subsequent lack of [[Immunology|immunological]] reactions with [[Antiserum|antisera]] that other organisms' lenses exhibit.<ref name="Piatigorsky-1989" />

All four of the visual systems of box jellyfish species investigated with detail (''[[Carybdea marsupialis]], [[Chiropsalmus quadrumanus]], [[Tamoya haplonema]] and Tripedalia cystophora'') have invaginated synapses, but only in the upper and lower lensed eyes. Different densities were found between the upper and lower lenses, and between species.<ref name="Gray-2009" /> Four types of chemical synapses have been discovered within the rhopalia which could help in understanding neural organization including: clear unidirectional, dense-core unidirectional, clear bidirectional, and clear and dense-core bidirectional. The synapses of the lensed eyes could be useful as markers to learn more about the neural circuit in box jellyfish retinal areas.<ref name="Gray-2009" />