Tracking the deep evolutionary origins of neurons

Introduction

The evolutionary origin of first neurons was key for animals as it allowed them to rapidly detect environmental cues and to coordinate responses to threats or opportunities. The evolutionary origin of neurons, however, remains a highly debated and largely enigmatic subject since there is no broad agreement on the relationships at the base of the animal tree and not all non-bilaterian animals have neurons.

Early Branching Animals

Strikingly, early branching animals, as well as their closest unicellular relatives, already contain many components of the molecular toolkits for neuronal functions.

Project Overview

ORIGINEURO addresses fundamental questions regarding the evolutionary origin of synapses and neurons from molecular to cellular scales. My recent studies on choanoflagellates, the closest living relatives of all animals, and ctenophores (comb jellies), strong candidates for one of the first animal lineages, are providing exciting, new, and surprising clues into the ancestry of synaptic proteins. This includes:

1. The discovery of a neurosecretory apparatus in choanoflagellates.
2. The identification of a unique nervous system in ctenophores.

Research Methodology

The proposed 5-year programme brings together various advanced techniques, including:

• Correlative volume electron microscopy
• Super-resolution imaging
• Quantitative live cell imaging
• State-of-the-art molecular biology
• Single cell RNA sequencing

This research will focus on a ctenophore as a model organism.

Objectives

• Objective 1: Provide a detailed understanding of the ultrastructure and connectivity of ctenophore neurons forming the subepithelial nerve net.
• Objective 2: Shed light on the so far elusive ctenophore neuron development.
• Objective 3: Functionally characterize ctenophore neurons to understand how they work and what they do.

Significance

ORIGINEURO fills a research gap and will provide insights into the various ways to build a neural network. Thus, ORIGINEURO aims at challenging the paradigm of network activity emerging through cellular diversification and synaptic connections.