Abstract
The bryozoan Bugula neritina has a biphasic life cycle that consists of a planktonic larval stage and a sessile juvenile/adult stage. The transition between these two stages is crucial for the development and recruitment of B. neritina. Metamorphosis in B. neritina is mediated by both the nervous system and the release of developmental signals. However, no research has been conducted to investigate the expression of neuropeptides (NP)/peptide hormones in B. neritina larvae. Here, we report a comprehensive study of the NP/peptide hormones in the marine bryozoan B. neritina based on in silico identification methods. We recovered 22 transcripts encompassing 11 NP/peptide hormone precursor transcript sequences. The transcript sequences of the 11 isolated NP precursors were validated by cDNA cloning using gene-specific primers. We also examined the expression of three peptide hormone precursor transcripts (BnFDSIG, BnILP1, BnGPB) in the coronate larvae of B. neritina, demonstrating their distinct expression patterns in the larvae. Overall, our findings serve as an important foundation for subsequent investigations of the peptidergic control of bryozoan larval behavior and settlement.
Highlights
The bryozoan Bugula neritina is a cosmopolitan marine fouling organism
We aimed to provide the first comprehensive report of peptide hormones in B. neritina larvae using in silico transcriptome mining
Adults from B. neritina colonies were collected from the floating rafts and other submerged objects at a fish farm in Trio Bench, Hong Kong (22°21019 N, 114°16015 E) from winter 2013 to spring 2015 and maintained in an aquarium at 21°C with a flow-through seawater system at the Coastal Marine Laboratory of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for less than seven days before use
Summary
The bryozoan Bugula neritina is a cosmopolitan marine fouling organism. Bugula neritina are colonial and have a complex life cycle that consists of a rather short free swimming larval phase followed by a sessile adult stage [1]. B. neritina produces coronate larvae, an oval-shaped type of larva with a ciliated epithelium, a pair of simple photosensory eyespots, an undifferentiated apical cell mass (the apical blastema), an internal sac, and a pyriform organ. All these major larval tissues are innervated and connected by the larval nervous system [2].
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