Abstract
Cephalopod body patterning is a most complex invertebrate behavior. Generated primarily by pigment-containing chromatophore organs, this behavior enables rapid alteration of body coloration as a result of direct innervation of chromatophores by motoneurons. This study focuses on location and arrangement of fin chromatophore motoneurons in the cuttlefish Sepia and investigates the possibility of central topography. Retrograde labeling of topographically arranged fin nerve branches in the periphery revealed the posterior subesophageal mass (PSEM) of the brain as the primary location of fin chromatophore motoneurons; within this region, most cells were located in the posterior chromatophore and fin lobes. Additionally, a small percentage of labeled motoneurons occurred in the anterior subesophageal mass and the stellate ganglia. Data from three-dimensional reconstructions of PSEMs showed the arrangement of labeled motoneurons within individual lobes; these data suggest no obvious topographic arrangement. Further, electrical stimulation of the PSEM generated chromatophore activity on the fin and mantle. These stimulation results, coupled with the retrograde labeling, suggest that chromatophore motoneurons are located across multiple PSEM lobes.
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Abbreviations
- ACL:
-
Anterior chromatophore lobe
- ASEM:
-
Anterior subesophageal mass
- ASW:
-
Artificial seawater
- BRL:
-
Brachial lobe
- FL:
-
Fin lobe
- HRP:
-
Horseradish peroxidase
- LBL:
-
Lateral basal lobe
- M:
-
Motor field value
- MCL:
-
Magnocellular lobe
- MSEM:
-
Middle subesophageal mass
- PCL:
-
Posterior chromatophore lobe
- PPCL:
-
Posterior posterior chromatophore lobe
- PSEM:
-
Posterior subesophageal mass
- PVL:
-
Palliovisceral lobe
- SEM:
-
Subesophageal mass
- SG:
-
Stellate ganglion
- SupraEM:
-
Supraesophageal mass
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Acknowledgments
We thank Mark Dow for his assistance with generating the three-dimensional reconstructions, Dr C. Keller for his assistance with statistical analyses, and Dr P.K. Loi for critical comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by NIGMS (T32GM07257).
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Gaston, M.R., Tublitz, N.J. Central distribution and three-dimensional arrangement of fin chromatophore motoneurons in the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis . Invert Neurosci 6, 81 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10158-006-0021-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10158-006-0021-3