Peptide-gated ion channels and the simple nervous system of Hydra
Abstract
Neurons either use electrical or chemical synapses to communicate with each other. Transmitters at chemical synapses are either small molecules or neuropeptides. After binding to their receptors, transmitters elicit postsynaptic potentials, which can either be fast and transient or slow and longer lasting, depending on the type of receptor. Fast transient potentials are mediated by ionotropic receptors and slow long-lasting potentials by metabotropic receptors. Transmitters and receptors are well studied for animals with a complex nervous system such as vertebrates and insects, but much less is known for animals with a simple nervous system like Cnidaria. As cnidarians arose early in animal evolution, nervous systems might have first evolved within this group and the study of neurotransmission in cnidarians might reveal an ancient mechanism of neuronal communication. The simple nervous system of the cnidarian Hydra extensively uses neuropeptides and, recently, we cloned and functionally characterized an ion channel that is directly activated by neuropeptides of the Hydra nervous system. These results demonstrate the existence of peptide-gated ion channels in Hydra, suggesting they mediate fast transmission in its nervous system. As related channels are also present in the genomes of the cnidarian Nematostella, of placozoans and of ctenophores, it should be considered that the early nervous systems of cnidarians and ctenophores have co-opted neuropeptides for fast transmission at chemical synapses.
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Homologous RFamide channels exist in Nematostella and some Protostomia, suggesting that neuropeptides have a broad function in fast neuronal communication.
“Homologous channels also exist in Nematostella [56] and in some Protostomia [59], suggesting that neuropeptides have a broad function in fast neuronal communication.”
From Back to the Basics: Cnidarians Start to Fire (2017) · cites this paper as [56]
Neuropeptide signaling in Hydra is mediated not only by GPCRs but also by ion channel receptors.
“neuropeptide signaling in Hydra is mediated not only by GPCRs, but also by ion channel receptors [38,40,56]”
From Back to the Basics: Cnidarians Start to Fire (2017) · cites this paper as [56]
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Back to the Basics: Cnidarians Start to Fire
Bosch, T. C. G., Klimovich, A., Domazet-Lošo, T., Gründer, S., Holstein, T. W., Jékely, G., Miller, D. J., Murillo-Rincon, A. P., Rentzsch, F., Richards, G. S., et al. (2017) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2016.11.005 · Cited by 144 · see citing works
Self-citation
- Authors
- Gründer, S., & Assmann, M.
- Affiliations
- RWTH Aachen University (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Gründer, Stefan
- Assmann, Marc
- ORCID
- Gründer, Stefan
- Venue
- Journal of Experimental Biology
- Publisher
- The Company of Biologists
- Published
- 2015-02-15
- Volume
- 218
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 551-561
- ISSN
- 0022-0949 (ISSN-L)
- 1477-9145
- OpenAlex
- W2165364027
- Cited by
- 54
- References
- 11
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 4
- FWCI
- 0.84
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Experimental Biology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- RWTH Publications (RWTH Aachen) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Ion channel regulation and function
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Keywords
- Hydra, neuropeptides, neurotransmission, chemical synapses, ligand-gated ion channels, metabotropic receptors, fast synaptic transmission, Cnidaria, nervous system evolution, Nematostella, placozoans, ctenophores, postsynaptic potentials
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Hydra, Membrane Potentials, Nervous System, Synaptic Transmission, Neuropeptides, Synapses, Ligand-Gated Ion Channels
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