A molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging response
All animals detect and integrate diverse environmental signals to mediate behavior. Cnidarians, including jellyfish and sea anemones, both detect and capture prey using stinging cells called nematocytes which fire a venom-covered barb via an unknown triggering mechanism. Here, we show that nematocyt...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2020-05-01
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| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/57578 |
| _version_ | 1818019868232908800 |
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| author | Keiko Weir Christophe Dupre Lena van Giesen Amy S-Y Lee Nicholas W Bellono |
| author_facet | Keiko Weir Christophe Dupre Lena van Giesen Amy S-Y Lee Nicholas W Bellono |
| author_sort | Keiko Weir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | All animals detect and integrate diverse environmental signals to mediate behavior. Cnidarians, including jellyfish and sea anemones, both detect and capture prey using stinging cells called nematocytes which fire a venom-covered barb via an unknown triggering mechanism. Here, we show that nematocytes from Nematostella vectensis use a specialized voltage-gated calcium channel (nCaV) to distinguish salient sensory cues and control the explosive discharge response. Adaptations in nCaV confer unusually sensitive, voltage-dependent inactivation to inhibit responses to non-prey signals, such as mechanical water turbulence. Prey-derived chemosensory signals are synaptically transmitted to acutely relieve nCaV inactivation, enabling mechanosensitive-triggered predatory attack. These findings reveal a molecular basis for the cnidarian stinging response and highlight general principles by which single proteins integrate diverse signals to elicit discrete animal behaviors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-14T07:57:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-5bc90b91a7044024b113e6b1e648d89e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-14T07:57:26Z |
| publishDate | 2020-05-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-5bc90b91a7044024b113e6b1e648d89e2022-12-22T02:04:59ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2020-05-01910.7554/eLife.57578A molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging responseKeiko Weir0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2501-9352Christophe Dupre1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5929-8492Lena van Giesen2Amy S-Y Lee3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4121-0720Nicholas W Bellono4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0829-9436Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United StatesDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United StatesDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United StatesDepartment of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United StatesDepartment of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, United StatesAll animals detect and integrate diverse environmental signals to mediate behavior. Cnidarians, including jellyfish and sea anemones, both detect and capture prey using stinging cells called nematocytes which fire a venom-covered barb via an unknown triggering mechanism. Here, we show that nematocytes from Nematostella vectensis use a specialized voltage-gated calcium channel (nCaV) to distinguish salient sensory cues and control the explosive discharge response. Adaptations in nCaV confer unusually sensitive, voltage-dependent inactivation to inhibit responses to non-prey signals, such as mechanical water turbulence. Prey-derived chemosensory signals are synaptically transmitted to acutely relieve nCaV inactivation, enabling mechanosensitive-triggered predatory attack. These findings reveal a molecular basis for the cnidarian stinging response and highlight general principles by which single proteins integrate diverse signals to elicit discrete animal behaviors.https://elifesciences.org/articles/57578cnidariansensory physiologycalcium signalingion channelneuroethologynematocyst |
| spellingShingle | Keiko Weir Christophe Dupre Lena van Giesen Amy S-Y Lee Nicholas W Bellono A molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging response eLife cnidarian sensory physiology calcium signaling ion channel neuroethology nematocyst |
| title | A molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging response |
| title_full | A molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging response |
| title_fullStr | A molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging response |
| title_full_unstemmed | A molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging response |
| title_short | A molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging response |
| title_sort | molecular filter for the cnidarian stinging response |
| topic | cnidarian sensory physiology calcium signaling ion channel neuroethology nematocyst |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/57578 |
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