Multiple optic gland signaling pathways implicated in octopus maternal behaviors and death.

ABSTRACT: Post-reproductive life in the female octopus is characterized by an extreme pattern of maternal care: the mother cares for her clutch of eggs without feeding until her death. These maternal behaviors are eradicated if the optic glands, the octopus analog of the vertebrate pituitary gland, are removed from brooding females. Despite the optic gland's importance in regulating maternal behavior, the molecular features underlying optic gland function are unknown. Here, we identify major signaling systems of the Octopus bimaculoides optic gland. Through behavioral analyses and transcriptome sequencing, we report that the optic gland undergoes remarkable molecular changes that coincide with transitions between behavioral stages. These include the dramatic upregulation and downregulation of catech

SUBMITTER: Wang ZY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6198452 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature