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Prototypical pacemaker neurons interact with the resident microbiota.

Alexander Klimovich1, Stefania Giacomello2,3, Åsa Björklund4

  • 1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Zoological Institute, University of Kiel, D-24118 Kiel, Germany; aklimovich@zoologie.uni-kiel.de tbosch@zoologie.uni-kiel.de.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers discovered that pacemaker neurons in Hydra use immune genes to interact with microbes. These neurons, expressing ion channels, evolved from innate immunity components to control rhythmic gut contractions.

Keywords:
Hydraantimicrobial peptideion channelmicrobiomepacemaker neuron

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Neuroscience
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Pacemaker neurons regulate neuronal circuits via rhythmic action potentials.
  • Rhythmic gut contractions in various species depend on neurons and microbiota.
  • The evolutionary origin of these neurons and their microbial interactions remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Identify and characterize pacemaker cells in the basal metazoan Hydra.
  • Investigate the evolutionary origins of pacemaker neurons and their interaction with microbes.
  • Elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying rhythmic contractions and microbial interactions in Hydra.

Main Methods:

  • Single-cell transcriptomics to identify cell types and gene expression.
  • Immunochemistry to visualize cell populations and protein localization.
  • Functional experiments to assess the role of ion channels and immune genes.

Main Results:

  • Prototypical pacemaker neurons expressing ANO/SCN/TRPM ion channels were identified in Hydra.
  • These pacemaker neurons express numerous immune-related genes involved in microbial interaction.
  • Functional data support a model where innate immunity components and ion channels mediate rhythmic contractions.

Conclusions:

  • Pacemaker neurons in Hydra utilize innate immunity pathways for microbial interaction.
  • The evolution of pacemaker cells likely involved integrating immune components with ion channel function.
  • This study provides insights into the ancient origins of neuronal control over gut function and host-microbe interactions.