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Temperature and pH-dependent potassium currents of muscles of the stomatogastric nervous system of the crab, Cancer borealis

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Jacquerie, Kathleen, Poghosyan, Ani, Schulz, David J., Marder, Eve·2026·iScience
DOI 10.1016/j.isci.2026.115244PMC PMC13019607

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Abstract

Marine crustaceans such as the crab, Cancer borealis , experience fluctuations in temperature and pH, yet their stomatogastric neuromuscular system must remain functional for feeding. We examined 16 of ∼40 stomach muscle pairs and found that warming consistently hyperpolarized muscle fibers (∼10 mV per 10°C) and reduced excitatory junctional potentials and currents. Muscle responses were also strongly influenced by extracellular pH, with an optimal range between pH 6.7 and 8.8; outside this window, abnormal activity emerged. Voltage-clamp analysis of gastric muscle gm5b revealed a temperature- and pH-sensitive conductance with a reversal potential near the potassium equilibrium potential and insensitivity to tetraethylammonium and barium, providing evidence against classical voltage-gated potassium channels. Quantitative RT-PCR detected the expression of two putative two-pore domain potassium (K2P) channels in these muscles. Together, these results suggest that muscle excitability in C. borealis is shaped by temperature- and pH-sensitive potassium currents consistent with contributions from K2P channels.

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  • By monitoring ocean temperatures, it is possible to ask mechanistic questions about how nervous systems from wild-caught animals are altered by the environment.

    “By monitoring the ocean temperatures, it is possible to ask mechanistic questions about how nervous systems from wild-caught animals are altered by the environment [67][68][69][70].”

    From A feature and not a bug: Replication failures can lead to new biology (2026) · cites this paper as [68]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) uses reported ocean-temperature variation to motivate a mechanistic study of temperature and pH effects on the crab stomatogastric nervous system and its muscles. But the Methods (page unavailable) describe commercially purchased crabs and controlled laboratory temperatures; the paper does not say it monitored the animals’ ocean temperatures or linked their environmental histories to nervous-system changes. (LLM, conf=0.78)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Jacquerie, K., Poghosyan, A., Schulz, D. J., & Marder, E.
Affiliations
  • Brandeis University (US)
  • University of Missouri (US)
Corresponding author
Marder, Eve
ORCID
Venue
iScience
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2026-04
Volume
29
Issue
4
Pages
115244
ISSN
2589-0042 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.isci.2026.115244
PMC
PMC13019607
OpenAlex
W7133918002
Cited by
2
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 2
FWCI
3.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • iScience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Funders
  • Belgian American Educational Foundation Inc
  • Wallonie-Bruxelles International
  • National Institutes of Health
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ion channel regulation and function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Sensory Systems › Ion Channels and Receptors
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ion Transport and Channel Regulation
Keywords
potassium currents, temperature dependence, pH dependence, stomatogastric nervous system, crab muscle, Cancer borealis, K2P channels, ion channels, neuromuscular junction

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