Spatial Reconstruction of TRPC Mechanoreceptors of the Ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865

Abstract

The ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865 responds to gentle mechanical stimulus with intense luminescence; however, the mechanism of this phenomenon is unknown. We searched for possible mechanosensitive receptors that initiate signal transduction resulting in photoprotein luminescence. The three orthologous genes of mouse (5z96) and drosophila (5vkq) TRPC-proteins, such as ML234550a-PA (860 a.a.), ML03701a-PA (828 a.a.), and ML038011a-PA (1395 a.a.), were found in the M. leidyi genome. The latter protein contains a long ankyrin helix consisting of 16 ANK domains. Study of the annotated domains and the network of interactions between the interactome proteins suggests that the ML234550a-PA and ML03701a-PA proteins carry out cytoplasmic transduction, but ML038011a-PA provides intranuclear transduction of mechanical signals. Spatial reconstruction of the studied proteins revealed differences in their structure, which may be related to various functions of these proteins in the cell. The question of which of these proteins is involved in the initiation of luminescence after mechanical stimulation is discussed.