Abstract
The nervous system of ascidians is an excellent model system to provide insights into the evolutionary process of the chordate nervous system due to their phylogenetic positions as the sister group of vertebrates. However, the entire nervous system of adult ascidians has yet to be functionally and anatomically investigated. In this study, we have revealed the whole dorsal and siphon nervous system of the transgenic adult ascidian of Ciona intestinalis Type A (Ciona robusta) in which a Kaede reporter gene is expressed in a pan-neuronal fashion. The fluorescent signal of Kaede revealed the innervation patterns and distribution of neurons in the nervous system of Ciona. Precise microscopic observation demonstrated the clear innervation of the anterior and posterior main nerves to eight and six lobes of the oral and atrial siphons, respectively. Moreover, visceral nerves, previously identified as unpaired nerves, were found to be paired; one nerve was derived from the posterior end of the cerebral ganglion and the other from the right posterior nerve. This study further revealed the full trajectory of the dorsal strand plexus and paired visceral nerves on either side from the cerebral ganglion to the ovary, and precise innervation between the cerebral ganglion and the peripheral organs including the gonoduct, cupular organ, rectum and ovary. The differential innervation patterns of visceral nerves and the dorsal strand plexus indicate that the peripheral organs including the ovary undergo various neural regulations. Collectively, the present anatomical analysis revealed the major innervation of the dorsal and siphon nervous systems of adult Ciona.
Highlights
The biological functions and organization of the central nervous system are correlated with the evolutionary lineages of animals
While considerably less attention has been paid to the central nervous system of adult ascidians [10,14], approximately forty neuropeptides and peptide hormones have been identified in Ciona adults over the past fifteen years [15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23]
We show major innervation of the dorsal and siphon nervous system of transgenic adult C. intestinalis Type A that expresses the Kaede reporter gene driven by a Prohormone convertase 2 (PC2) gene promoter
Summary
The biological functions and organization of the central nervous system are correlated with the evolutionary lineages of animals. The nervous system of adult Ciona is composed of the cerebral ganglion, neural gland, anterior and posterior nerves, visceral nerves, dorsal strand, and dorsal strand plexus [24]. We show major innervation of the dorsal and siphon nervous system of transgenic adult C. intestinalis Type A (recently recognized as Ciona robusta [37]) that expresses the Kaede reporter gene driven by a PC2 gene promoter.
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