Peptidergic Regulation of Body Patterning Behavior in the Cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis

NJ Tublitz99-05989这项研究项目的长期目标是从机制上理解行为可塑性，即根据有机体的内部状态或环境条件改变个人行为表现的能力。这种行为可塑性是由于中枢和外周运动网络的微小变化导致运动输出的细微变化的结果。通过研究欧洲乌贼乌贼的一种独特的行为，即身体模式行为，将通过实验来探索行为可塑性的问题。乌贼是一种与章鱼和鱿鱼有亲缘关系的头足类软体动物。墨鱼和其他无壳头足类动物产生了令人着迷的丰富的瞬变和持续的身体模式，这些模式被用于许多目的，如伪装、捕获猎物、求偶和物种内交流。作为动物界最有趣的行为之一，头足类的身体纹样行为是独特的，因为纹样的复杂性和多样性，以及纹样形成的速度，通常在500ms以内。这项研究的最终目的是阐明这些复杂模式产生的中心机制，并了解神经肽在调节这一行为中的作用。未来一年要开展的工作将集中在神经调节剂在调节发色团活动中的作用。我们已经证明，FMRFamide神经肽家族，即FMRFamide相关多肽(FARPs)，刺激发色团肌肉，进而导致有色发色团的扩张。以前的工作已经确定了编码FMRFamide和其他三个FARP的大脑转录产物。其中一个重点将是利用原位杂交方法确定FMRFamide编码转录本在乌贼脑中的空间分布，并通过免疫细胞化学技术确定转录本表达和FMRFamide表达之间的重叠程度。第二个目标是使用分子方法识别乌贼体内的其他FARP编码基因。这些实验的结果将为这些肽在调节头足类动物身体模式行为方面的作用提供新的信息。

NJ Tublitz99-05989 The long term goal of this research project is to obtain a mechanistic understanding of behavioral plasticity, the ability to vary the performance of an individual behavior depending upon the internal state of the organism or on environmental conditions. This behavioral plasticity is the result of subtle variations in the motor output due to small changes in the motor network both centrally and peripherally. The issue of behavioral plasticity will be explored experimentally by studying a unique behavior, Body Patterning Behavior , in the European cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, a cephalopod mollusc related to octopus and squid. Cuttlefish and other unshelled cephalopods generate a fascinatingly rich repertoire of transient and sustained body patterns that are used for numerous purposes such as camouflage, prey capture, courtship, and intraspecific communication. One of the most intrinsically interesting behaviors in the animal kingdom, body patterning behavior in cephalopods is unique due to the complexity and variety of patterns as well as the speed of pattern formation, usually within 500 ms. The ultimate objective of this research is to elucidate the central mechanisms underlying the production of these complicated patterns, and to understand the role of neuropeptides in modulating this behavior. The work to be performed in the up-coming year will focus on the role of neuromodulators in mediating chromatophore activity. We have demonstrated that the FMRFamide family of neuropeptides, known as FMRFamide-related peptides (FaRPs), stimulate the chromatophore muscles, which in turn causes expansion of the pigmented chromatophores. Previous work has identified a brain transcript that encodes FMRFamide and three other FaRPs. One focus will be to determine the spatial distribution of the FMRFamide-coding transcript in the Sepia brain using in situ hybridization methods and to determine the extent of the overlap between transcript expression and FMRFamide expression as assessed by immunocytochemical techniques. The second goal will be to identify other FaRP coding genes in Sepia using molecular methods. The results from these experiments will provide new information on the role of these peptides in modulating aspects of body pattern behavior in cephalopods.