Signal Molecules in Ctenophores: Quest for the earliest neurotransmitters

神经元的起源是复杂动物组织发展过程中最基本的事件之一。从更广泛的意义上说，它对我们理解生物复杂性和思维的起源也是必不可少的。该项目旨在识别和表征负责简单神经回路和行为的发展和形成的信号分子。要验证的假设是，神经元在不同的早期动物中独立产生，因此今天动物的神经系统可能包括不同祖先的细胞。通过使用现代基因组学和生理学的工具，这些过程可以在这些早期动物的后代中重建，例如栉水母（栉水母）。这些过程可以用来修复甚至设计新的神经回路。海参、巴氏胸脯将作为主要的栉水母模型。作为广泛的影响，该研究项目将整合神经科学和基因组生物学的教育，以破译控制早期行为形成的分子工具包。我们将开发的方法和方法论可以推广到任何系统。因此，该项目将从概念上改变对从研究经典动物模型中获得的数据的解释，并将探索如何“制造”神经元、神经回路和基本大脑的独特机制。它对于绘制合成生物学和再生医学的新方向至关重要。除了它们作为神经科学模型的价值外，栉水母也是海洋生态学和生物渔业控制的重要组成部分。因此，识别这些动物的化学信号成分将促进我们对其生物学的理解，并有助于监测和控制海洋栖息地的健康。

The origin of neurons is one of the most fundamental events in the development of complex animal organization. In the broader sense, it is also essential for our understanding of the origin of biological complexity and mind. This project is designed to identify and characterize signal molecules that are responsible for the development and formation of simple neural circuits and behavior. The hypothesis to be tested is that neurons arose independently in different early animals, and therefore the nervous systems of today's animals might include cells of diverse ancestry. By using the tools of modern genomics and physiology, these processes can be reconstructed in the descendants of these early animals, such as ctenophores (comb jellies). These processes can then used to repair or even design novel neural circuits. The sea gooseberry, Pleurobrachia bachei will be used as the major ctenophore model. As the broad impact, this research program will integrate education in Neuroscience with Genome Biology to decipher the molecular toolkits that controlled formation of the earliest behaviors. The approaches and methodology that we will develop can be generalized to any system. As such, the project will conceptually change the interpretation of data gained from studying classical animal models, and will probe unique mechanisms of how to "make" a neuron, a neural circuit, and an elementary brain. It is essential for charting new directions both in synthetic biology and regeerative medicine. In addition to their value as models in neuroscience, comb jellies are significant parts of marine ecology and biological fishery control. Thus, identification of chemical signaling components in these animals will advance our understanding of their biology and contribute to monitoring and controlling the health of marine habitats.