Journal
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY
Volume 282, Issue 10, Pages 1466-1477Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21398
Keywords
Bolinopsis; ctenophora; evolution; Mnemiopsis; muscle system; nervous system; sensory cells
Categories
Funding
- Human Frontier Science Program [RGP0060/2017]
- National Institute of Heath [R01NS114491]
- National Science Foundation [1146575, 1548121, 1557923, 1645219]
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems [1548121, 1557923] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Integrative Organismal Systems
- Direct For Biological Sciences [1645219] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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Ctenophores are descendants of an early branching basal metazoan lineage that may have evolved neurons and muscles independently. The neuromuscular system development in Mnemiopsis is similar to Pleurobrachia, but faster. Adult Mnemiopsis exhibits distinct neuronal populations in the feeding lobes and auricles, unique to the Lobata clade.
Ctenophores are descendants of an early branching basal metazoan lineage, which may have evolved neurons and muscles independently from other animals. Mnemiopsis is one of the important reference ctenophore species. However, little is known about its neuromuscular organization. Here, we mapped and tracked the development of the neural and muscular elements in the early hatching cydippid larvae, as well as adult Mnemiopsis leidyi. The overall development of the neuromuscular system in Mnemiopsis was very similar to Pleurobrachia bachei, although in Mnemiopsis the entire process occurred significantly faster. The subepithelial neural cells were observed immediately after hatching. This population consisted of a dozen of separated individual neurons with short neurites. In about 2 days, when their neurites grew significantly longer and connected to their neighbors, they began to form a canonical polygonal subepithelial network. Mesogleal neural elements prominent in all studied adult ctenophores were not detectable in Mnemiopsis larvae but were clearly labeled in closely related Lobata species Bolinopsis infundibulum. Hatched larvae also had putative mechanoreceptors with long stereocilia and approximately two dozen muscle cells. In adult Mnemiopsis, the feeding lobes and auricles contained two distinct populations of neurons and neural ensembles that were not observed in other ctenophore lineages and likely represented elaborate neuronal innovations characteristic for the clade Lobata and their lifestyles.
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