Mechanisms of neuropeptidergic regulation of larval settlement behavior in the marine worm, Platynereis dumerilii

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Gáspár Jékely
• Subject Area: Evolutionary Cell and Developmental Biology (Zoology) ; Developmental Biology
• Term: from 2015 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 279299140

Marine invertebrate larval settlement and metamorphosis is an important transitional stage in the life cycle of several animal phyla. While in many cases this process is regulated by neuropeptides, how these molecules act within larvae to affect behavioral and morphological changes in a carefully timed manner is still unknown. In this project we will explore how larval settlement behavior is regulated by antagonistic neuropeptides. We will study the marine worm, Platynereis dumerilii, where we found that a conserved neuropeptide, myoinhibitory peptide (MIP) induces larval settlement behavior and this effect is antagonized by allatotropin/orexin signaling. Preliminary experiments suggest that MIP signals by free fatty acids to induce calcium spikes in the ciliated swimming cells of the larvae, resulting in a strong inhibition of ciliary beating and rapid settlement. Allatotropin acts antagonistically at an unknown point in the MIP signaling pathway to block the settlement-inducing effects of MIP signaling. We propose to characterize this signaling pathway through a combination of lipidomics, transcriptomics, behavioral and morphological approaches. The Platynereis system allows us to study detailed molecular signaling in a whole-organism context, linking specific molecules and behavior.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: United Kingdom