Work

Cnidarians and the evolutionary origin of the nervous system

Year: 2009

Type: review

Abstract: Cnidarians are widely regarded as one of the first organisms in animal evolution possessing a nervous system. Conventional histological and electrophysiological studies have revealed a considerable degree of complexity of the cnidarian nervous system. Thanks to expressed sequence tags and genome projects and the availability of functional assay systems in cnidarians, this simple nervous system is now genetically accessible and becomes particularly valuable for understanding the origin and evolution of the genetic control mechanisms underlying its development. In the present review, the anatomical and physiological features of the cnidarian nervous system and the interesting parallels in neurodevelopmental mechanisms between Cnidaria and Bilateria are discussed.

Source: Development Growth & Differentiation

DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-169x.2009.01103.x

Authors: Hiroshi Watanabe, Toshitaka Fujisawa, Thomas W. Holstein

Institution: Heidelberg University

Language: English

Topic: Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology

Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung, Toyobo Biotechnology Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Award: G697487402