Year: 2023
Type: conference-paper
Abstract: Platynereis dumerilii -A molecularly accessible worm model with a circalunar clockThe polychaete P. dumerilii lives on the seafloor in shallow coastal habitats.For reproduction, males and females go through a metamorphosis and swim into the open water where they simultaneously release their gametes in a "mating dance".Metamorphosis & mating are precisely timed to the lunar cycle and are controlled by a circalunar clock.The worm's circadian behavior and its reproductive rhythm provide excellent chronobiological outreads.Various molecular techniques are established for P. dumerilii, including staining protocols (in situ hybridization, antibodies, HCR), transcriptomics/proteomics, cell culture assays, and targeted mutagenesis (TALENs, CRISPR).To date, >10 mutant worm strains have been established and are kept in culture.Combining molecular work with behavioral monitoring and natural light measurements, we investigate how the worms perceive and distinguish sun-& moonlight, what molecular mechanisms translate environmental information into circadian & circalunar rhythms, and the basis of individual rhythmic variability among worms ("personalities") as well as its ecological relevance.
Authors: Häfker, N Sören, Tessmar-Raible, Kristin
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7081698332