Larval settlement and metamorphosis of two gregarious sabellariid polychaetes:Sabellaria alveolatacompared withPhragmatopoma californica

Author(s):  
Joseph R. Pawlik

Two sabellariid polychaetes,Sabellaria alveolatafrom European waters andPhragmatopoma californicafrom the west coast of North America, are known from previous work to have larvae that settle and metamorphose preferentially on the cemented sand tubes of conspecific adults. The naturally occurring inducers of larval metamorphosis were recently isolated and identified forP. californica.In the present study, larval behaviour ofS. alveolataandP. californicawas compared in reciprocal laboratory settlement assays. For both species, metamorphosis occurred to a greater extent on conspecific tube sand than on control sand or on heterospecific tube sand. Extraction of the tube sand ofS. alveolatawith organic solvents diminished its capacity to induce metamorphosis pi conspecific larvae, but this capacity was not transferred to the extracts, as was the case forP. californica. The substance responsible for the enhanced metamorphosis ofS. alveolataon conspecific tube sand remains unknown. The free fatty acid (FFA) inducers of larval metamorphosis ofP. californicaeither inhibited, or had no effect on, metamorphosis ofS. alveolata. Both species responded abnormally upon exposure to unnaturally high concentrations of certain (particularly polyenoic) FFAs. Abnormal larval responses ofS. alveolata, however, did not incorporate behavioural components of normal metamorphosis, as were observed forP. californica. FFAs were isolated from the natural tube sand ofS. alveolataat less than one-tenth the concentration found in the natural tube sand ofP. californica. The differences between the two species provide further evidence that a very specific mechanism is responsible for the perception of FFAs by the larvae ofP. californica.

BMC Genomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guilan Di ◽  
Xiaohuo Xiao ◽  
Ming Him Tong ◽  
Xinhua Chen ◽  
Li Li ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Fujian oyster Crassostrea angulata is an economically important species that has typical settlement and metamorphosis stages. The development of the oyster involves complex morphological and physiological changes, the molecular mechanisms of which are as yet unclear. Results In this study, changes in proteins were investigated during larval settlement and metamorphosis of Crassostrea angulata using epinephrine induction. Protein abundance and identity were characterized using label-free quantitative proteomics, tandem mass spectrometry (MS/ MS), and Mascot methods. The results showed that more than 50% (764 out of 1471) of the quantified proteins were characterized as differentially expressed. Notably, more than two-thirds of the differentially expressed proteins were down-regulated in epinephrine-induced larvae. The results showed that “metabolic process” was closely related to the development of settlement and metamorphosis; 5 × 10− 4 M epinephrine induced direct metamorphosis of larvae and was non-toxic. Calmodulin and MAPK pathways were involved in the regulation of settlement of the oyster. Expression levels of immune-related proteins increased during metamorphosis. Hepatic lectin-like proteins, cadherins, calmodulin, calreticulin, and cytoskeletal proteins were involved in metamorphosis. The nervous system may be remodeled in larval metamorphosis induced by epinephrine. Expression levels of proteins that were enriched in the epinephrine signaling pathway may reflect the developmental stage of the larvae, that may reflect whether or not larvae were directly involved in metamorphosis when the larvae were treated with epinephrine. Conclusion The study provides insight into proteins that function in energy metabolism, immune responses, settlement and metamorphosis, and shell formation in C. angulata. The results contribute valuable information for further research on larval settlement and metamorphosis. Graphical abstract


2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (5) ◽  
pp. 615-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Elenes ◽  
Ying Ni ◽  
Gisela D. Cymes ◽  
Claudio Grosman

Although the muscle nicotinic receptor (AChR) desensitizes almost completely in the steady presence of high concentrations of acetylcholine (ACh), it is well established that AChRs do not accumulate in desensitized states under normal physiological conditions of neurotransmitter release and clearance. Quantitative considerations in the framework of plausible kinetic schemes, however, lead us to predict that mutations that speed up channel opening, slow down channel closure, and/or slow down the dissociation of neurotransmitter (i.e., gain-of-function mutations) increase the extent to which AChRs desensitize upon ACh removal. In this paper, we confirm this prediction by applying high-frequency trains of brief (∼1 ms) ACh pulses to outside-out membrane patches expressing either lab-engineered or naturally occurring (disease-causing) gain-of-function mutants. Entry into desensitization was evident in our experiments as a frequency-dependent depression in the peak value of succesive macroscopic current responses, in a manner that is remarkably consistent with the theoretical expectation. We conclude that the comparatively small depression of the macroscopic currents observed upon repetitive stimulation of the wild-type AChR is due, not to desensitization being exceedingly slow but, rather, to the particular balance between gating, entry into desensitization, and ACh dissociation rate constants. Disruption of this fine balance by, for example, mutations can lead to enhanced desensitization even if the kinetics of entry into, and recovery from, desensitization themselves are not affected. It follows that accounting for the (usually overlooked) desensitization phenomenon is essential for the correct interpretation of mutagenesis-driven structure–function relationships and for the understanding of pathological synaptic transmission at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction.


1957 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 329-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton K. Goldberg ◽  
S. H. Hutner ◽  
J. E. Ford

The pattern of the vitamin B12 requirement of a soil bacterium "Lochhead 38" (provisionally assigned to Arthrobacter) resembled that of the protozoan Ochromonas malhamensis and of higher animals. Of the naturally-occurring B12-vitamins, cyanocobalamin and vitamin B12III are active. Pseudovitamin B12 and Factor A have very little or no intrinsic activity, and when present in relatively high concentrations both compounds depress the rate of the growth response to limiting cyanocobalamin. Factor B, the porphyrin-like nucleus of the vitamin B12 molecule without the nucleotide, is inactive, as are also methionine and deoxyribosides. A disadvantage in the use of Lochhead 38 for assay purposes is that in vitamin-B12-dehcient cultures the organisms flocculate.


1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (7) ◽  
pp. 1054-1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Webb

An enzyme synthesizing galactinol, UDP-D-galactose:myo-inositol-1-α-D-galactosyl transferase (galactinol synthase), has been isolated and partially purified from mature leaves of Cucurbita pepo. The enzyme showed optimal activity between pH 7.5 and 8.0 and required Mn2+ and the presence throughout isolation, storage, and assay of a sulfhydryl protectant (β-mercaptoethanol). EDTA was completely inhibitory. From a range of metal ions only Mg2+ partially replaced Mn2+, while Co2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, and Ni2+ were inhibitory. The uridine nucleotides and UDP-glucose were from 40 to 80% inhibitory and probably constitute part of the in vivo control system. High concentrations of galactose, melibiose, and xylose were partially inhibitory. The enzyme appeared highly specific for myo-inositol and showed no ability for galactosyl transfer to any other naturally occurring sugar or sugar alcohol. Some reactivity was obtained with the isomeric scyllo-inositol but the product was not identified. A range of other sugar nucleotides were unreactive.


2020 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Yang ◽  
Jiahao Mo ◽  
Zhangliang Wei ◽  
Lijuan Long

ABSTRACT Calcified macroalgae play an important role in the settlement and metamorphosis of invertebrate larvae in coral reef ecosystems. However, little is known about the algal-associated bacterial communities and their effects on larval settlement. In this study, the responses of larvae of the coral Pocillopora damicornis to calcified algae (Porolithon onkodes, Halimeda cylindracea, Halimeda opuntia and Amphiroa fragilissima) were evaluated. The results revealed that Por. onkodes and H. cylindracea significantly enhanced the rates of settlement and metamorphosis, whereas fewer larvae settled on Am. fragilissima and H. opuntia. Amplicon pyrosequencing of the V3–V4 region of 16S rDNA was applied to investigate the relationship between algal bacterial community and larval settlement. Principal coordinates analysis demonstrated that the bacterial community composition of H. opuntia was more similar to that of Am. fragilissima, but clearly distinct from those of H. cylindracea and Por. onkodes. Furthermore, the relative abundances of bacteria were highly diverse among different algae. H. opuntia had higher percentages of Thalassobius, Pelagibius and SM1A02, whereas the abundances of Mycoplasma and Suttonella were significantly higher in H. cylindracea than other algae. Our results showed that larval settlement/metamorphosis was strongly correlated with the bacterial community composition and with the relative abundance of a few operational taxonomic units.


2019 ◽  
Vol 85 (16) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian He ◽  
Qi Dai ◽  
Yuxuan Qi ◽  
Pei Su ◽  
Miaoqin Huang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTMarine bacterial biofilms have long been recognized as potential inducers of larval settlement and metamorphosis in marine invertebrates, but few chemical cues from bacteria have been identified. Here, we show that larval settlement and metamorphosis of an invasive fouling mussel,Mytilopsis sallei, could be induced by biofilms of bacteria isolated from its adult shells and other substrates from the natural environment. One of the strains isolated,Vibrio owensiiMS-9, showed strong inducing activity which was attributed to the release of a mixture of nucleobases including uracil, thymine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, and guanine into seawater. In particular, the synergistic effect of hypoxanthine and guanine was sufficient for the inducing activity ofV. owensiiMS-9. The presence of two or three other nucleobases could enhance, to some extent, the activity of the mixture of hypoxanthine and guanine. Furthermore, we determined that bacteria producing higher concentrations of nucleobases were more likely to induce larval settlement and metamorphosis ofM. salleithan were bacteria producing lower concentrations of nucleobases. The present study demonstrates that bacterial nucleobases play an important role in larval settlement and metamorphosis of marine invertebrates. This provides new insights into our understanding of the role of environmental bacteria in the colonization and aggregation of invasive fouling organisms and of the metabolites used as chemical mediators in cross-kingdom communication within aquatic systems.IMPORTANCEInvasive species are an increasingly serious problem globally. In aquatic ecosystems, invasive dreissenid mussels are well-known ecological and economic pests because they appear to effortlessly invade new environments and foul submerged structures with high-density aggregations. To efficiently control exotic mussel recruitment and colonization, the need to investigate the mechanisms of substrate selection for larval settlement and metamorphosis is apparent. Our work is one of very few to experimentally demonstrate that compounds produced by environmental bacteria play an important role in larval settlement and metamorphosis in marine invertebrates. Additionally, this study demonstrates that bacterial nucleobases can be used as chemical mediators in cross-kingdom communication within aquatic systems, which will enhance our understanding of how microbes induce larval settlement and metamorphosis of dreissenid mussels, and it furthermore may allow the development of new methods for application in antifouling.


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