A study in the journal Cell sheds new light on the evolution of neurons, focusing on the placozoans, a millimeter-sized marine animal. Researchers at the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona find evidence that specialized secretory cells found in these unique and ancient creatures may have given rise to neurons in more complex animals.
Confocal microscopy image of nuclei, colored by depth, of Trichoplax sp. H2, one of the four species of placozoan for which the authors of the study created a cell atlas for. Credit: Sebastian R. Najle/Centro de Regulación Genómicasheds new light on the evolution of neurons, focusing on the placozoans, a millimeter-sized marine animal.
The sea creatures coordinate their behavior thanks to peptidergic cells, special types of cells that release small peptides which can direct the animal's movement or feeding. Driven by the intrigue of the origin of these cells, the authors of the study employed an array of molecular techniques and computational models to understand how placozoanReconstructing ancient cell types
The research showed that the main nine cell types in placozoans appear to be connected by many"in-between" cell types which change from one type to another. The cells grow and divide, maintaining the delicate balance of cell types required for the animal to move and eat. The researchers also found fourteen different types of peptidergic cells, but these were different to all other cells, showing no in-between types or any signs of growth or division.
Finally, the authors used deep learning techniques to show that placozoan cell types communicate with each other using a system in cells where specific proteins, called GPCRs , detect outside signals and start a series of reactions inside the cell. These outside signals are mediated by neuropeptides, chemical messengers used by neurons in many different physiological processes.
The presence of some of these neuronal genes in the cells of placozoans and their absence in ctenophores raises fresh questions about the evolutionary trajectory of neurons.
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