Fused neurons suggest ctenophores’ nervous system evolved independently of that in other animals.
Credit: Andrey Nerkrasov/Alamy
Ctenophores, also known as comb jellies, are gelatinous marine animals that use tiny hairs to move through water. They are one of the earliest known multicellular organisms and are useful for investigating the origin and evolution of nervous systems. The team found an unusual trait: the neurons in the comb jelly’s nerve net are not connected by synaptic junctions, as would be expected in the nervous system of any other animal. Instead, they are fused and share a continuous membrane, forming what scientists call a syncytium.
The fused neurons that make up the continuous membrane are specific to the nerve net. They are not found in other parts of the ctenophore nervous system, which includes sensory cells and tentacle nerves. The results, published in, surprised Kittelmann and her team members, who wanted to be certain about what they had discovered. “It’s quite a bold statement, so you don’t want to publish something that you’re not 100% sure about,” says Kittelmann.
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