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Kuo DH, De-Miguel FF, Heath-Heckman EAC, Szczupak L, Todd K, Weisblat DA, Winchell CJ. A tale of two leeches: Toward the understanding of the evolution and development of behavioral neural circuits. Evol Dev 2020; 22:471-493. [PMID: 33226195 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the animal kingdom, behavioral traits encompass a broad spectrum of biological phenotypes that have critical roles in adaptive evolution, but an EvoDevo approach has not been broadly used to study behavior evolution. Here, we propose that, by integrating two leech model systems, each of which has already attained some success in its respective field, it is possible to take on behavioral traits with an EvoDevo approach. We first identify the developmental changes that may theoretically lead to behavioral evolution and explain why an EvoDevo study of behavior is challenging. Next, we discuss the pros and cons of the two leech model species, Hirudo, a classic model for invertebrate neurobiology, and Helobdella, an emerging model for clitellate developmental biology, as models for behavioral EvoDevo research. Given the limitations of each leech system, neither is particularly strong for behavioral EvoDevo. However, the two leech systems are complementary in their technical accessibilities, and they do exhibit some behavioral similarities and differences. By studying them in parallel and together with additional leech species such as Haementeria, it is possible to explore the different levels of behavioral development and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dian-Han Kuo
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Francisco F De-Miguel
- Instituto de Fisiología Celular - Neurociencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México City, México
| | | | - Lidia Szczupak
- Departamento de Fisiología Biología Molecular y Celular, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and IFIBYNE UBA-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Krista Todd
- Department of Neuroscience, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - David A Weisblat
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Christopher J Winchell
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA
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Kim RC, Le D, Ma K, Heath-Heckman EAC, Whitehorn N, Kristan WB, Weisblat DA. Behavioral analysis of substrate texture preference in a leech, Helobdella austinensis. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2019; 205:191-202. [PMID: 30721348 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-019-01317-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Leeches in the wild are often found on smooth surfaces, such as vegetation, smooth rocks or human artifacts such as bottles and cans, thus exhibiting what appears to be a "substrate texture preference". Here, we have reproduced this behavior under controlled circumstances, by allowing leeches to step about freely on a range of silicon carbide substrates (sandpaper). To begin to understand the neural mechanisms underlying this texture preference behavior, we have determined relevant parameters of leech behavior both on uniform substrates of varying textures, and in a behavior choice paradigm in which the leech is confronted with a choice between rougher and smoother substrate textures at each step. We tested two non-exclusive mechanisms which could produce substrate texture preference: (1) a Differential Diffusion mechanism, in which a leech is more likely to stop moving on a smooth surface than on a rough one, and (2) a Smoothness Selection mechanism, in which a leech is more likely to attach its front sucker (prerequisite for taking a step) to a smooth surface than to a rough one. We propose that both mechanisms contribute to the texture preference exhibited by leeches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C Kim
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 385 LSA, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3200, USA
| | - Dylan Le
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 3119 Pacific Hall, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Kenny Ma
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 385 LSA, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3200, USA
| | - Elizabeth A C Heath-Heckman
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 385 LSA, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3200, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Nathan Whitehorn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - William B Kristan
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, 3119 Pacific Hall, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - David A Weisblat
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, 385 LSA, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3200, USA.
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Northcutt AJ, Fischer EK, Puhl JG, Mesce KA, Schulz DJ. An annotated CNS transcriptome of the medicinal leech, Hirudo verbana: De novo sequencing to characterize genes associated with nervous system activity. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0201206. [PMID: 30028871 PMCID: PMC6054404 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The medicinal leech is one of the most venerated model systems for the study of fundamental nervous system principles, ranging from single-cell excitability to complex sensorimotor integration. Yet, molecular analyses have yet to be extensively applied to complement the rich history of electrophysiological study that this animal has received. Here, we generated the first de novo transcriptome assembly from the entire central nervous system of Hirudo verbana, with the goal of providing a molecular resource, as well as to lay the foundation for a comprehensive discovery of genes fundamentally important for neural function. Our assembly generated 107,704 contigs from over 900 million raw reads. Of these 107,704 contigs, 39,047 (36%) were annotated using NCBI's validated RefSeq sequence database. From this annotated central nervous system transcriptome, we began the process of curating genes related to nervous system function by identifying and characterizing 126 unique ion channel, receptor, transporter, and enzyme contigs. Additionally, we generated sequence counts to estimate the relative abundance of each identified ion channel and receptor contig in the transcriptome through Kallisto mapping. This transcriptome will serve as a valuable community resource for studies investigating the molecular underpinnings of neural function in leech and provide a reference for comparative analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J. Northcutt
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
| | - Eva K. Fischer
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - Joshua G. Puhl
- Department of Entomology and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Karen A. Mesce
- Department of Entomology and Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - David J. Schulz
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, Missouri, United States of America
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