The rainbow of moving lights seen along comb jellies is one of the most fascinating sights in the ocean. Now Japanese researchers have discovered a protein that controls the movement of these lights, and therefore the movement of these distinctive creatures underwater.
In a recent study published in Current biologyresearchers from the University of Tsukuba have discovered a protein in comb jellies that is essential for the structure and movement of their comb plates, which are comb-like body structures that give these animals their name.
Comb jellies, or ctenophores, are found in all oceans, from the surface to the ocean depths. These voracious marine predators are notable for wearing eight rippling bands of bright, iridescent color along their sides. These bands are rows of comb plates that contain tens of thousands of tiny hair-like structures called cilia. The beating of these comb plates propels the comb jellies through the water. The coordinated wave-like movement of the eyelashes scatters the surrounding light, producing a rainbow of colors.
“The cilia are grouped together with structures called compartmentalization lamellae (CL),” says author Professor Kazuo Inaba. “These lamellae are thought to be important for the orientation and synchronous movement of the eyelashes. In a previous study, we found a protein, called CTENO64, that is necessary for cilia orientation, but is found in only one part of the CL. We still haven’t fully understood the overall slat architecture.”
The comb plate is divided into two distinct compartments: proximal and distal. Knowing that CTENO64 resides in the proximal compartment and to better understand the molecular composition of CL, the researchers looked at whole proteins present throughout the comb plate. They identified those that were both abundant and showed gene expression only in comb plate cells. This search elucidated 21 proteins, including a newly detected protein called CTENO189, which is in a different region of CL than CTENO64.
“When we knocked out the gene for this new protein, CL did not appear at all in the distal region of the comb plate,” says Professor Inaba. “Further examination of the structure showed that while the comb plates formed normally, the cilia were disordered and the normal wave-like movement pattern disappeared.”
Together, these studies indicate that the two distinct regions of the CL play different roles in controlling the movement of comb jellies. The proximal CL provides a solid building base, while the distal CL provides an elastic connection between the lashes. Together, these proteins found in CL maintain the rippling motion that propels comb jellies through their ocean environment.
Structural protein essential for ciliary harmony in comb jellies
Kei Jokura et al, Two distinct compartments of a ctenophore comb plate provide structural and functional integrity for giant multicilia motility, Current biology (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.061
Provided by University of Tsukuba
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