Mass spectrometry of short peptides reveals common features of metazoan peptidergic neurons.

ABSTRACT: The evolutionary origins of neurons remain unknown. Although recent genome data of extant early-branching animals have shown that neural genes existed in the common ancestor of animals, the physiological and genetic properties of neurons in the early evolutionary phase are still unclear. Here, we performed a mass spectrometry-based comprehensive survey of short peptides from early-branching lineages Cnidaria, Porifera and Ctenophora. We identified a number of mature ctenophore neuropeptides that are expressed in neurons associated with sensory, muscular and digestive systems. The ctenophore peptides are stored in vesicles in cell bodies and neurites, suggesting volume transmission similar to that of cnidarian and bilaterian peptidergic systems. A comparison of genetic characteristics revea

SUBMITTER: Hayakawa E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9525235 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature