Evolutionary neurobiology of zooplankton larvae
COS SAB 2025
Centre for Organismal Studies, Heidelberg University
@jekely@biologists.social
Nervous systems evolved in the sea
Platynereis dumerilii
- breeding culture
- microinjection, transgenesis
- neuron-specific promoters and antibodies
- knock-out lines
- neuronal connectome
- neuronal activity imaging
From biophysics to environment
biophysics 
connectomics 
genetics
environment
Biophysics of ciliary microswimmers
- high-speed ciliary imaging
- laser ablations
- modelling
In collaboration with Wan and Keaveny labs, UK
Array tomography for vEM and connectomics
- 2 Zeiss Gemin SEMs
- Leica UC7 Ultramicrotome
- strong collaboration with EMCF
Information flow from sensors to effectors
UV response in Platynereis larvae
Brain ciliary photoreceptors with ramified cilia
Circuitry of ciliary photoreceptors
Strong cPRC activation after UV exposure
Nitric-oxide synthase in postsynaptic interneurons
HCR
Transgenic labelling
immunostaining
NOS mutants have defective UV response
In quest of the origin of eyes
ERC AdG Project - PROTOEYE
Coral larvae
Emelie Brodrick
Hannah Laeverenz
Rebecca Poon & Kirsty Wan
Field trips to explore marine plankton
Ischia, Sorgeto, 2024
Field trips lead to unexpected discoveries
with Alexandra Kerbl, Ischia May 31, 2024
What is this?
with Alexandra Kerbl, Ischia May 31, 2024
Egg plates and Müller’s larvae of polyclad flatworms
Planocera ceratommata
Müller’s larvae have a ciliomotor nervous system
Comparative vEM & connectomics of marine larvae
- 12 labs (EU, UK)
- vEM of marine invertebrates
- evolution of cell types
- integrate with molecular atlases
Acknowledgements
Lab members
- Sanja Jasek
- Alexandra Kerbl
- Emily Savage
- Simone Wolters
- Lara Keweloh
- Kevin Urbansky
- Karel Mocaer
- David Hug
- Benedikt Dürr
- Ira Maegele
- Emelie Brodrick (Exeter)
Facilities
- EM Core Facility
- Réza Shahidi
- Charlotta Funaya
- Nikon Imaging Centre
- Ulrike Engel
