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Signal transduction in barnacle settlement: Calcium re-visited
1a Marine Biological Association , Citadel Hill , Plymouth , PL1 2PB , UK.
Biofouling
|November 26, 2011
Summary
Calcium is crucial for barnacle settlement, with specific concentrations stimulating larval attachment. Understanding calcium
Area of Science:
- Marine Biology
- Biochemistry
- Ecology
Background:
- Conventional marine antifoulant assays face challenges.
- Investigating chemical cue perception in fouling organisms can reveal settlement inhibitors.
- Signal transduction pathways offer novel biochemical assay targets for antifoulants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-examine the role of calcium in barnacle settlement.
- To investigate the influence of external and intracellular calcium on settlement.
- To explore calcium channel involvement in barnacle larval settlement.
Main Methods:
- Settlement assays using varying calcium concentrations in seawater.
- Pharmacological manipulation with thapsigargin, cyclopiazonic acid, TMB-8, and A23187.
- Application of organic and inorganic calcium channel blockers.
Main Results:
- Calcium is required for Balanus amphitrite cypris larva settlement; low/no calcium inhibited settlement.
- A 5 mM excess of calcium stimulated settlement, while higher concentrations were inhibitory.
- Thapsigargin induced settlement, TMB-8 inhibited it, suggesting intracellular calcium pool involvement.
- Calcium channel blockers indicated their involvement in barnacle settlement.
Conclusions:
- Calcium plays a critical role in barnacle settlement, influencing larval attachment.
- Both external calcium and intracellular calcium pools appear to be involved.
- Calcium channels are implicated in the signal transduction pathway during barnacle settlement.
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