1
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Wan KY. Active oscillations in microscale navigation. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1837-1850. [PMID: 37665482 PMCID: PMC10769930 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01819-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023]
Abstract
Living organisms routinely navigate their surroundings in search of better conditions, more food, or to avoid predators. Typically, animals do so by integrating sensory cues from the environment with their locomotor apparatuses. For single cells or small organisms that possess motility, fundamental physical constraints imposed by their small size have led to alternative navigation strategies that are specific to the microscopic world. Intriguingly, underlying these myriad exploratory behaviours or sensory functions is the onset of periodic activity at multiple scales, such as the undulations of cilia and flagella, the vibrations of hair cells, or the oscillatory shape modes of migrating neutrophils. Here, I explore oscillatory dynamics in basal microeukaryotes and hypothesize that these active oscillations play a critical role in enhancing the fidelity of adaptive sensorimotor integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty Y Wan
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK.
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4QL, UK.
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2
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Ishikawa T, Pedley TJ. 50-year History and perspective on biomechanics of swimming microorganisms: Part I. Individual behaviours. J Biomech 2023; 158:111706. [PMID: 37572642 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/14/2023]
Abstract
The paired review papers in Parts I and II describe the 50-year history of research on the biomechanics of swimming microorganisms and its prospects in the next 50 years: Part I explains the behaviour of individual microorganisms, and Part II explains collective behaviour. Since the discovery of microorganisms by van Leeuwenhoek in the 17th century, many natural scientists have been interested in their motility because it is directly associated with biological function. A research upsurge occurred in the 1970s, with the elucidation of swimming mechanisms among individual microorganisms and the theoretical derivation of swimming speeds. Various swimming strategies of three types of microorganisms, i.e. bacteria, ciliates and microalgae, are explained in this Part I. We show that some of the behaviours of microorganisms can be described by biomechanical equations and are to some extent predictable. Recent researches have revealed the behaviour of microorganisms in more complex environments and more realistic settings, which are also reviewed in the paper. Last, we provide future prospects for research on microbial behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takuji Ishikawa
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University 6-6-01, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579, Japan.
| | - T J Pedley
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge Centre for Mathematical Sciences, Wilberforce Road, Cambridge CB3 0WA, UK
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3
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Escoubet N, Brette R, Pontani LL, Prevost AM. Interaction of the mechanosensitive microswimmer Paramecium with obstacles. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221645. [PMID: 37234495 PMCID: PMC10206458 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
In this work, we report investigations of the swimming behaviour of Paramecium tetraurelia, a unicellular microorganism, in micro-engineered pools that are decorated with thousands of cylindrical pillars. Two types of contact interactions are measured, either passive scattering of Paramecium along the obstacle or avoiding reactions (ARs), characterized by an initial backward swimming upon contact, followed by a reorientation before resuming forward motion. We find that ARs are only mechanically triggered approximately 10% of the time. In addition, we observe that only a third of all ARs triggered by contact are instantaneous while two-thirds are delayed by approximately 150 ms. These measurements are consistent with a simple electrophysiological model of mechanotransduction composed of a strong transient current followed by a persistent one upon prolonged contact. This is in apparent contrast with previous electrophysiological measurements where immobilized cells were stimulated with thin probes, which showed instantaneous behavioural responses and no persistent current. Our findings highlight the importance of ecologically relevant approaches to unravel the motility of mechanosensitive microorganisms in complex environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Escoubet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Laboratoire Jean Perrin, 4 place Jussieu, Paris 75005, France
| | - Romain Brette
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, 17 rue Moreau, Paris 75012, France
| | - Lea-Laetitia Pontani
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Laboratoire Jean Perrin, 4 place Jussieu, Paris 75005, France
| | - Alexis Michel Prevost
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Laboratoire Jean Perrin, 4 place Jussieu, Paris 75005, France
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4
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Elices I, Kulkarni A, Escoubet N, Pontani LL, Prevost AM, Brette R. An electrophysiological and kinematic model of Paramecium, the "swimming neuron". PLoS Comput Biol 2023; 19:e1010899. [PMID: 36758112 PMCID: PMC9946239 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Paramecium is a large unicellular organism that swims in fresh water using cilia. When stimulated by various means (mechanically, chemically, optically, thermally), it often swims backward then turns and swims forward again in a new direction: this is called the avoiding reaction. This reaction is triggered by a calcium-based action potential. For this reason, several authors have called Paramecium the "swimming neuron". Here we present an empirically constrained model of its action potential based on electrophysiology experiments on live immobilized paramecia, together with simultaneous measurement of ciliary beating using particle image velocimetry. Using these measurements and additional behavioral measurements of free swimming, we extend the electrophysiological model by coupling calcium concentration to kinematic parameters, turning it into a swimming model. In this way, we obtain a model of autonomously behaving Paramecium. Finally, we demonstrate how the modeled organism interacts with an environment, can follow gradients and display collective behavior. This work provides a modeling basis for investigating the physiological basis of autonomous behavior of Paramecium in ecological environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Elices
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
| | - Anirudh Kulkarni
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- Department of Bioengineering and Centre for Neurotechnology, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nicolas Escoubet
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Laboratoire Jean Perrin (LJP), Paris
| | - Léa-Laetitia Pontani
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Laboratoire Jean Perrin (LJP), Paris
| | - Alexis Michel Prevost
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Laboratoire Jean Perrin (LJP), Paris
| | - Romain Brette
- Sorbonne Université, INSERM, CNRS, Institut de la Vision, Paris, France
- * E-mail:
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5
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Echigoya S, Sato K, Kishida O, Nakagaki T, Nishigami Y. Switching of behavioral modes and their modulation by a geometrical cue in the ciliate Stentor coeruleus. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1021469. [PMID: 36393838 PMCID: PMC9663998 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1021469] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 08/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Protists ubiquitously live in nature and play key roles in the food web chain. Their habitats consist of various geometrical structures, such as porous media and rigid surfaces, affecting their motilities. A kind of protist, Stentor coeruleus, exhibits free swimming and adhering for feeding. Under environmental and culture conditions, these organisms are often found in sediments with complex geometries. The determination of anchoring location is essential for their lives. However, the factors that induce the behavioral transition from swimming to adhering are still unknown. In this study, we quantitatively characterized the behavioral transitions in S. coeruleus and observed the behavior in a chamber with dead ends made by a simple structure mimicking the environmental structures. As a result, the cell adheres and feeds in narrow spaces between the structure and the chamber wall. It may be reasonable for the organism to hide itself from predators and capture prey in these spaces. The behavioral strategy for the exploration and exploitation of spaces with a wide variety of geometries in their habitats is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Syun Echigoya
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Sato
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Osamu Kishida
- Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Tomakomai Experimental Forest, Hokkaido University, Tomakomai, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Nakagaki
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Yukinori Nishigami
- Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
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6
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Ohmura T, Nishigami Y, Ichikawa M. Simple dynamics underlying the survival behaviors of ciliates. Biophys Physicobiol 2022; 19:e190026. [PMID: 36160323 PMCID: PMC9465405 DOI: 10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v19.0026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
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7
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Bentley SA, Laeverenz-Schlogelhofer H, Anagnostidis V, Cammann J, Mazza MG, Gielen F, Wan KY. Phenotyping single-cell motility in microfluidic confinement. eLife 2022; 11:76519. [PMID: 36416411 PMCID: PMC9683786 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The movement trajectories of organisms serve as dynamic read-outs of their behaviour and physiology. For microorganisms this can be difficult to resolve due to their small size and fast movement. Here, we devise a novel droplet microfluidics assay to encapsulate single micron-sized algae inside closed arenas, enabling ultralong high-speed tracking of the same cell. Comparing two model species - Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (freshwater, 2 cilia), and Pyramimonas octopus (marine, 8 cilia), we detail their highly-stereotyped yet contrasting swimming behaviours and environmental interactions. By measuring the rates and probabilities with which cells transition between a trio of motility states (smooth-forward swimming, quiescence, tumbling or excitable backward swimming), we reconstruct the control network that underlies this gait switching dynamics. A simplified model of cell-roaming in circular confinement reproduces the observed long-term behaviours and spatial fluxes, including novel boundary circulation behaviour. Finally, we establish an assay in which pairs of droplets are fused on demand, one containing a trapped cell with another containing a chemical that perturbs cellular excitability, to reveal how aneural microorganisms adapt their locomotor patterns in real-time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel A Bentley
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Mathematics and Statistics, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Biosciences, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Hannah Laeverenz-Schlogelhofer
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Mathematics and Statistics, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Vasileios Anagnostidis
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Biosciences, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Physics and Astronomy, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Jan Cammann
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough UniversityLoughboroughUnited Kingdom
| | - Marco G Mazza
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Mathematical Modelling and Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough UniversityLoughboroughUnited Kingdom,Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization (MPIDS)GöttingenGermany
| | - Fabrice Gielen
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Physics and Astronomy, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
| | - Kirsty Y Wan
- Living Systems Institute, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom,Mathematics and Statistics, University of ExeterExeterUnited Kingdom
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8
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Brette R. Integrative Neuroscience of Paramecium, a "Swimming Neuron". eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0018-21.2021. [PMID: 33952615 PMCID: PMC8208649 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0018-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Paramecium is a unicellular organism that swims in fresh water by beating thousands of cilia. When it is stimulated (mechanically, chemically, optically, thermally…), it often swims backward then turns and swims forward again. This "avoiding reaction" is triggered by a calcium-based action potential. For this reason, some authors have called Paramecium a "swimming neuron." This review summarizes current knowledge about the physiological basis of behavior of Paramecium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Brette
- Sorbonne Université, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de la Vision, Paris 75012, France
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9
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Abstract
All living cells interact dynamically with a constantly changing world. Eukaryotes, in particular, evolved radically new ways to sense and react to their environment. These advances enabled new and more complex forms of cellular behaviour in eukaryotes, including directional movement, active feeding, mating, and responses to predation. But what are the key events and innovations during eukaryogenesis that made all of this possible? Here we describe the ancestral repertoire of eukaryotic excitability and discuss five major cellular innovations that enabled its evolutionary origin. The innovations include a vastly expanded repertoire of ion channels, the emergence of cilia and pseudopodia, endomembranes as intracellular capacitors, a flexible plasma membrane and the relocation of chemiosmotic ATP synthesis to mitochondria, which liberated the plasma membrane for more complex electrical signalling involved in sensing and reacting. We conjecture that together with an increase in cell size, these new forms of excitability greatly amplified the degrees of freedom associated with cellular responses, allowing eukaryotes to vastly outperform prokaryotes in terms of both speed and accuracy. This comprehensive new perspective on the evolution of excitability enriches our view of eukaryogenesis and emphasizes behaviour and sensing as major contributors to the success of eukaryotes. This article is part of the theme issue 'Basal cognition: conceptual tools and the view from the single cell'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty Y. Wan
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Gáspár Jékely
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
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10
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Dussutour A. Learning in single cell organisms. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 564:92-102. [PMID: 33632547 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The survival of all species requires appropriate behavioral responses to environmental challenges. Learning is one of the key processes to acquire information about the environment and adapt to changing and uncertain conditions. Learning has long been acknowledged in animals from invertebrates to vertebrates but remains a subject of debate in non-animal systems such a plants and single cell organisms. In this review I will attempt to answer the following question: are single cell organisms capable of learning? I will first briefly discuss the concept of learning and argue that the ability to acquire and store information through learning is pervasive and may be found in single cell organisms. Second, by focusing on habituation, the simplest form of learning, I will review a series of experiments showing that single cell organisms such as slime molds and ciliates display habituation and follow most of the criteria adopted by neuroscientists to define habituation. Then I will discuss disputed evidence suggesting that single cell organisms might also undergo more sophisticated forms of learning such as associative learning. Finally, I will stress out that the challenge for the future is less about whether or not to single cell organisms fulfill the definition of learning established from extensive studies in animal systems and more about acknowledging and understanding the range of behavioral plasticity exhibited by such fascinating organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Dussutour
- Research Centre on Animal Cognition (CRCA), Centre for Integrative Biology (CBI), Toulouse University, CNRS, UPS, Toulouse, 31062, AD, France.
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11
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Wan KY. Synchrony and symmetry-breaking in active flagellar coordination. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190393. [PMID: 31884920 PMCID: PMC7017343 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Living creatures exhibit a remarkable diversity of locomotion mechanisms, evolving structures specialized for interacting with their environment. In the vast majority of cases, locomotor behaviours such as flying, crawling and running are orchestrated by nervous systems. Surprisingly, microorganisms can enact analogous movement gaits for swimming using multiple, fast-moving cellular protrusions called cilia and flagella. Here, I demonstrate intermittency, reversible rhythmogenesis and gait mechanosensitivity in algal flagella, to reveal the active nature of locomotor patterning. In addition to maintaining free-swimming gaits, I show that the algal flagellar apparatus functions as a central pattern generator that encodes the beating of each flagellum in a network in a distinguishable manner. The latter provides a novel symmetry-breaking mechanism for cell reorientation. These findings imply that the capacity to generate and coordinate complex locomotor patterns does not require neural circuitry but rather the minimal ingredients are present in simple unicellular organisms. This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Unity and diversity of cilia in locomotion and transport'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty Y. Wan
- Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
- College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
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12
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Schenz D, Nishigami Y, Sato K, Nakagaki T. Uni-cellular integration of complex spatial information in slime moulds and ciliates. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2019; 57:78-83. [PMID: 31449977 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2019.06.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 06/23/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Single-celled organisms show a fascinating faculty for integrating spatial information and adapting their behaviour accordingly. As such they are of potential interest for elucidating fundamental mechanisms of developmental biology. In this mini-review we highlight current research on two organisms, the true slime mould Physarum polycephalum and the ciliates Paramecium and Tetrahymena. For each of these, we present a case study how applying physical principles to explain behaviour can lead to the understanding of general principles possibly relevant to developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Schenz
- Research Center of Mathematics for Social Creativity, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20W10, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan; Institute for Chemical Reaction Design and Discovery (WPI-ICReDD), Hokkaido University, N21W10, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan
| | - Yukinori Nishigami
- Research Center of Mathematics for Social Creativity, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20W10, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan; Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan
| | - Katsuhiko Sato
- Research Center of Mathematics for Social Creativity, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20W10, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan; Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Nakagaki
- Research Center of Mathematics for Social Creativity, Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20W10, Sapporo, 001-0020, Japan; Global Station for Soft Matter, Global Institution for Collaborative Research and Education, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 001-0021, Japan.
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13
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Kunita I, Yamaguchi T, Tero A, Akiyama M, Kuroda S, Nakagaki T. A ciliate memorizes the geometry of a swimming arena. J R Soc Interface 2017; 13:rsif.2016.0155. [PMID: 27226383 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2016.0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies on adaptive behaviour in single-celled organisms have given hints to the origin of their memorizing capacity. Here we report evidence that a protozoan ciliate Tetrahymena has the capacity to learn the shape and size of its swimming space. Cells confined in a small water droplet for a short period were found to recapitulate circular swimming trajectories upon release. The diameter of the circular trajectories and their duration reflected the size of the droplet and the period of confinement. We suggest a possible mechanism for this adaptive behaviour based on a Ca(2+) channel. In our model, repeated collisions with the walls of a confining droplet result in a slow rise in intracellular calcium that leads to a long-term increase in the reversal frequency of the ciliary beat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Itsuki Kunita
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20W10, Kita-Ward Sapporo 001-0020, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Yamaguchi
- Graduate School of Mathematics, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Atsushi Tero
- Graduate School of Mathematics, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan Institute of Mathematics for Industry, Kyushu University, 744 Motooka, Nishi-ku, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
| | - Masakazu Akiyama
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20W10, Kita-Ward Sapporo 001-0020, Japan
| | - Shigeru Kuroda
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20W10, Kita-Ward Sapporo 001-0020, Japan
| | - Toshiyuki Nakagaki
- Research Institute for Electronic Science, Hokkaido University, N20W10, Kita-Ward Sapporo 001-0020, Japan
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14
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Bohatová M, Vďačný P. Locomotory behaviour of two phylogenetically distant predatory ciliates: does evolutionary history matter? ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2017.1342697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michaela Bohatová
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Peter Vďačný
- Department of Zoology, Comenius University in Bratislava, 842 15 Bratislava, Slovak Republic
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15
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Abstract
The central nervous system (CNS) underlies memory, perception, decision-making, and behavior in numerous organisms. However, neural networks have no monopoly on the signaling functions that implement these remarkable algorithms. It is often forgotten that neurons optimized cellular signaling modes that existed long before the CNS appeared during evolution, and were used by somatic cellular networks to orchestrate physiology, embryonic development, and behavior. Many of the key dynamics that enable information processing can, in fact, be implemented by different biological hardware. This is widely exploited by organisms throughout the tree of life. Here, we review data on memory, learning, and other aspects of cognition in a range of models, including single celled organisms, plants, and tissues in animal bodies. We discuss current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms at work in these systems, and suggest several hypotheses for future investigation. The study of cognitive processes implemented in aneural contexts is a fascinating, highly interdisciplinary topic that has many implications for evolution, cell biology, regenerative medicine, computer science, and synthetic bioengineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- František Baluška
- Department of Plant Cell Biology, IZMB, University of Bonn Bonn, Germany
| | - Michael Levin
- Biology Department, Tufts Center for Regenerative and Developmental Biology, Tufts University Medford, MA, USA
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16
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Eisenstein EM, Eisenstein DL, Sarma JSM. An exploration of how to define and measure the evolution of behavior, learning, memory and mind across the full phylogenetic tree of life. Commun Integr Biol 2016; 9:e1166320. [PMID: 27489578 PMCID: PMC4951174 DOI: 10.1080/19420889.2016.1166320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2015] [Revised: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
There are probably few terms in evolutionary studies regarding neuroscience issues that are used more frequently than ‘behavior', ‘learning', ‘memory', and ‘mind'. Yet there are probably as many different meanings of these terms as there are users of them. Further, investigators in such studies, while recognizing the full phylogenetic spectrum of life and the evolution of these phenomena, rarely go beyond mammals and other vertebrates in their investigations; invertebrates are sometimes included. What is rarely taken into consideration, though, is that to fully understand the evolution and significance for survival of these phenomena across phylogeny, it is essential that they be measured and compared in the same units of measurement across the full phylogenetic spectrum from aneural bacteria and protozoa to humans. This paper explores how these terms are generally used as well as how they might be operationally defined and measured to facilitate uniform examination and comparisons across the full phylogenetic spectrum of life. This paper has 2 goals: (1) to provide models for measuring the evolution of ‘behavior' and its changes across the full phylogenetic spectrum, and (2) to explain why ‘mind phenomena' cannot be measured scientifically at the present time.
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Affiliation(s)
- E M Eisenstein
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - D L Eisenstein
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - J S M Sarma
- VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System , Los Angeles, CA, USA
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17
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Calvo P, Baluška F. Conditions for minimal intelligence across eukaryota: a cognitive science perspective. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1329. [PMID: 26388822 PMCID: PMC4558474 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paco Calvo
- MINT Lab, Department of Philosophy, University of Murcia Murcia, Spain
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Westerhoff HV, Brooks AN, Simeonidis E, García-Contreras R, He F, Boogerd FC, Jackson VJ, Goncharuk V, Kolodkin A. Macromolecular networks and intelligence in microorganisms. Front Microbiol 2014; 5:379. [PMID: 25101076 PMCID: PMC4106424 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2014.00379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Living organisms persist by virtue of complex interactions among many components organized into dynamic, environment-responsive networks that span multiple scales and dimensions. Biological networks constitute a type of information and communication technology (ICT): they receive information from the outside and inside of cells, integrate and interpret this information, and then activate a response. Biological networks enable molecules within cells, and even cells themselves, to communicate with each other and their environment. We have become accustomed to associating brain activity - particularly activity of the human brain - with a phenomenon we call "intelligence." Yet, four billion years of evolution could have selected networks with topologies and dynamics that confer traits analogous to this intelligence, even though they were outside the intercellular networks of the brain. Here, we explore how macromolecular networks in microbes confer intelligent characteristics, such as memory, anticipation, adaptation and reflection and we review current understanding of how network organization reflects the type of intelligence required for the environments in which they were selected. We propose that, if we were to leave terms such as "human" and "brain" out of the defining features of "intelligence," all forms of life - from microbes to humans - exhibit some or all characteristics consistent with "intelligence." We then review advances in genome-wide data production and analysis, especially in microbes, that provide a lens into microbial intelligence and propose how the insights derived from quantitatively characterizing biomolecular networks may enable synthetic biologists to create intelligent molecular networks for biotechnology, possibly generating new forms of intelligence, first in silico and then in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans V. Westerhoff
- Department of Molecular Cell Physiology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Manchester Centre for Integrative Systems Biology, The University of ManchesterManchester, UK
- Synthetic Systems Biology, University of AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Aaron N. Brooks
- Institute for Systems BiologySeattle, WA, USA
- Molecular and Cellular Biology Program, University of WashingtonSeattle, WA, USA
| | - Evangelos Simeonidis
- Institute for Systems BiologySeattle, WA, USA
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of LuxembourgEsch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | | | - Fei He
- Department of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering, The University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
| | - Fred C. Boogerd
- Department of Molecular Cell Physiology, Vrije Universiteit AmsterdamAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Valeri Goncharuk
- Netherlands Institute for NeuroscienceAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Russian Cardiology Research CenterMoscow, Russia
- Department of Medicine, Center for Alzheimer and Neurodegenerative Research, University of AlbertaEdmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Alexey Kolodkin
- Institute for Systems BiologySeattle, WA, USA
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine, University of LuxembourgEsch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
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