Insights into circuit evolution and cell-type diversity from the whole-body connectome of the Platynereis larva
EED2024: — Neuro-evo-devo I: Emergence of neural structures
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 😎
The simplest circuit to mediate behaviour - phototaxis
Whole-body connectome of a segmented annelid larva
Information flow from sensors to effectors
Neural circuit of the visual eyes
Diversity of larval eyes
In quest of the origin of eyes
-> ERC-funded postdoc position
ZooCell - MSCA Doctoral Network (2024-2026)
- 10 labs (EU, UK)
- vEM of marine invertebrates
- evolution of cell types
- integrate with molecular atlases
Thin serial sectioning into ribbons
High-throughput volume EM
Coral larvae
In collaboration with Kirsty Wan (LSI Exeter) and Jamie Craggs (Horniman Museum)
Coral larvae
Emelie Brodrick
Hannah Laeverenz
Rebecca Poon & Kirsty Wan
Light-off induces contraction and ciliary arrest
A coral larval nerve net - simplest nervous system?
A coral larval nerve net - simplest nervous system?
Hydrozoan larval phototaxis
Jeff Goddard, iNaturalist
GJ & Jürgen Berger
Clava multicornis
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
-> brought them back to Heidelberg
Planocera ceratommata
But are we sure…?
Rhabdomeric and ciliary photoreceptors
Platynereis
Müller’s larva
Müller’s larvae have a ciliomotor nervous system
All inputs and outputs known
- adrenergic pacemaker system
- vibration mechanoreceptors
- UV and pressure sensory ciliary photoreceptors
- …
Comparative connectomics of marine larvae
Acknowledgements
- Sanja Jasek
- Alexandra Kerbl
- Emily Savage
- Simone Wolters
- Lara Keweloh
- Kevin Urbansky
- Karel Mocaer
- David Hug
- Benedikt Dürr
- Ira Maegele
- Emelie Brodrick (Exeter)
Former lab members
- Kei Jokura, Luis A. Bezares-Calderón, Luis A. Yanez-Guerra, Victoria Moris, Daniel Thiel, Albina Asadulina, Cameron Hird, Adam Johnstone, Markus Conzelmann, Nadine Randel, Philipp Bauknecht, Martin Gühmann, Cristina Pineiro-Lopez, Nobuo Ueda, Aurora Panzera, Csaba Verasztó, Elizabeth Williams
