Membrane currents that govern smooth muscle contraction in a ctenophore

Abstract

Ctenophores are transparent marine organisms that swim by means of beating cilia; they are the simplest animals with individual muscle fibres. Predatory species, such as Beroe ovata, have particularly well-developed muscles and are capable of an elaborate feeding response¹. When Beroe contacts its prey, the mouth opens, the body shortens, the pharynx expands, the prey is engulfed and the lips then close tightly. How this sequence, which lasts 1 s, is accomplished is unclear. The muscles concerned are structurally uniform^2,3 and are innervated at each end by a neuronal nerve net⁴ with no centre for coordination. Isolated muscle cells studied under voltage-clamp provide a solution to this puzzle. We find that different groups of muscle cells have different time-dependent membrane currents. Because muscle contraction depends upon calcium entry during each action potential, these different currents produce different patterns of contraction. We conclude that in a simple animal such as a ctenophore, a sophisticated set of mem-brane conductances can compensate for the absence of an elaborate system of effectors.