Aquatic Invertebrates: Model Systems for Study of Receptor Activation and Evolution of Receptor Proteins

Lenhoff, Howard M.; Heagy, Wyrta

doi:10.1146/annurev.pa.17.040177.001331

Cited by 26 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Instead, biofouling inhibits plastic egestion, allowing retention of all sizes indiscriminately. Indeed, corals often rely on chemoreception to capture their prey, initiating feeding responses stimulated by compounds found in prey items (Lindstedt, 1971;Lenhoff and Heagy, 1977).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Passive and Active Removal of Marine Microplastics by a Mushroom Coral (Danafungia scruposa)

et al. 2020

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Although millions of tons of plastics end up in oceans each year, floating plastics account for only about 1% of all plastic inputs in the ocean. Particularly, microplastics below 1 mm in length, are missing in surface waters due to removal processes like ingestion by marine animals, biofouling, and sinking. Here, we studied how a species of mushroom corals (Danafungia scruposa), common in the Maldives, contributed to the removal of microplastics from the water suspension through active (ingestion) and passive (adhesion to the surface) mechanisms. We evaluated if removal rates were affected by the presence of the coral natural prey (i.e., Artemia salina) and by biofouling on the surface of the microplastic. We found that the coral quickly interacts both actively and passively with microplastics and that the probability for the coral to ingest and retain microplastics was higher when the surface of the microplastic was biofouled. We also found that passive adhesion of microplastics was the primary mechanism through which corals sequester microplastics from the water column.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Passive and Active Removal of Marine Microplastics by a Mushroom Coral (Danafungia scruposa)

et al. 2020

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“…Part of the response, tentacle writhing and mouth opening, can be produced in vitro by polyps' exposure to GSH, which is the specific stimulant of the feeding behavior in Hydra as well as in other cnidarian species (Loomis, 1955;Lenhoff, 1961). Lenhoff (1974Lenhoff ( , 1977 described in detail the kinetics of the response to GSH, advancing the hypothesis that a specific chemoreceptor mediated this response. Later, two independent groups reported the occurrence and characterization of a GSH receptor population in Hydra tissues (Venturini, 1987;Grosvenor et al, 1992).…”

Section: The Hydra Feeding Responsementioning

confidence: 99%

Coordinated modulation of cellular signaling through ligand-gated ion channels in Hydra vulgaris (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa)

Pierobon

2012

Int. J. Dev. Biol.

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Cnidarians lack well developed organs, but they have evolved the molecular and cellular components needed to assemble a nervous system. The apparent 'simplicity' of the cnidarian nervous net does not occur at the cellular level, but rather in the organisation of conducting systems. Cnidarian neurons are in fact electrically excitable, show the typical extended morphology and are connected by chemical synapses or gap junctions. They have been regarded as peptidergic, given the wealth of neuropeptides generally distributed along neurites and in cell bodies, supporting the hypothesis of a modulatory role in neurotransmission. However, the presence of clear-cored, as well as dense-cored synaptic vesicles in cnidarian neurons suggests both fast and slow synaptic transmission mechanisms. In fact, biochemical and functional evidence indicates that classical neurotransmitters and their metabolic partners are present in cnidarian tissues, where they are involved in coordinating motility and behavior. We have identified and characterized in Hydra tissues receptors to the inhibitory and excitatory amino acid neurotransmitters, GABA, glycine and NMDA, that are similar to mammalian ionotropic receptors in terms of their biochemical and pharmacological properties. These receptors appear to regulate pacemaker activities and their physiological correlates; in the live animal, they also affect feeding behavior, namely the duration and termination of the response elicited by reduced glutathione, with opposite actions of GABA and glycine or NMDA, respectively. These results suggest that modulation of cellular signaling through ligand-gated-ion channels is an ancient characteristic in the animal kingdom, and that the pharmacological properties of these receptors have been highly conserved during evolution.

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“…A stimulatory effect potentially driven by the presence of fake food items (i.e., plastic polymers) initially increased feeding rates. Despite corals’ reliance on chemoreception to capture prey 42 , they can exchange microplastics for natural prey because these polymers can contain phagostimulants involved in chemosensory control during feeding 36 . While corals unexposed to microplastics continued to feed without any sign of stress, the rate of ingestion in corals exposed to microplastics decreased significantly over time and with increasing microplastic concentration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple impacts of microplastics can threaten marine habitat-forming species

et al. 2021

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Microplastics are recognised as a potential global threat to marine ecosystems, but the biological mechanisms determining their impact on marine life are still largely unknown. Here, we investigated the effects of microplastics on the red coral, a long-lived habitat-forming organism belonging to the Corallium genus, which is present at almost all latitudes from shallow-water to deep-sea habitats. When exposed to microplastics, corals preferentially ingest polypropylene, with multiple biological effects, from feeding impairment to mucus production and altered gene expression. Microplastics can alter the coral microbiome directly and indirectly by causing tissue abrasions that allow the proliferation of opportunistic bacteria. These multiple effects suggest that microplastics at the concentrations present in some marine areas and predicted for most oceans in the coming decades, can ultimately cause coral death. Other habitat-forming suspension-feeding species are likely subjected to similar impacts, which may act synergistically with climate-driven events primarily responsible for mass mortalities.

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Aquatic Invertebrates: Model Systems for Study of Receptor Activation and Evolution of Receptor Proteins

Cited by 26 publications

References 62 publications

Passive and Active Removal of Marine Microplastics by a Mushroom Coral (Danafungia scruposa)

Passive and Active Removal of Marine Microplastics by a Mushroom Coral (Danafungia scruposa)

Coordinated modulation of cellular signaling through ligand-gated ion channels in Hydra vulgaris (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa)

Multiple impacts of microplastics can threaten marine habitat-forming species

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