Development and architecture of the nervous system in Cephalocarida and Mystacocarida - Testing the monophyly of Crustacea

该项目继续使用各种免疫组织化学技术，研究两个甲壳类动物--头壳纲和甲壳纲神经系统的结构和发育。有人认为这两个分类群都是“原始”的甲壳类动物(即具有大量的多形性特征)，而甲壳动物门甚至是所有其他的甲壳动物的姊妹群(暗示甲壳纲的近亲)。我们将用乙酰化和酪氨化的α微管蛋白和突触素的抗体染色来研究大棘毛虫、残毛虫和典型毛虫神经系统的发育。此外，还将对单一的5-羟色胺、FMRFamide和组胺免疫反应神经元进行表征，以揭示同源细胞模式。这种性质的免疫组织化学技术现在在各种节肢动物和潜在的姐妹群中得到了很好的确立，并允许在分类群之间进行最大限度的可比性。此外，还将结合免疫组织化学技术研究Even-Skiped的基因表达模式，以确定在六足动物-甲壳动物关系的争论中发挥重要作用的单个先锋神经元。在所有这些方面，对头颈虫和后生动物的研究将填补我们对深层节肢动物和最终深层后生动物系统发育的理解的重要空白。

The project continues to investigate the architecture and development of the nervous system in two crustacean taxa, Cephalocarida and Mystacocarida, using various kinds of immunohistochemical techniques. It has been suggested that both taxa are “primitive” crustaceans (i.e. characterized by a high number of plesiomorphic characters), and that Mystacocarida is even the sister group of all other Mandibulata (implying the paraphyly of Crustacea). The development of the nervous system in Hutchinsoniella macracantha (Cephalocarida), in Derocheilocaris remanei and in D. typica (Mystacocarida) will be studied using antibody staining against acetylated and tyrosinated α-tubulin and against synapsin. In addition, single serotonin, FMRFamide and histamine immunoreactive neurons will be characterized in order to reveal homologous cell patterns. Immunohistochemical techniques of this nature are now well established in various arthropods and potential sistergroups and allow maximum comparability between taxa. In addition, the gene expression pattern of even-skipped will be studied in combination with immunohistochemical techniques in order to identify single pioneer neurons which have played an important role in the debate on hexapod-crustacean relationships. In all these respects this study of cephalocarids and mystacocarids will fill important gaps in our understanding of deep arthropod and ultimately deep metazoan phylogeny.