Environmental entrainment demonstrates natural circadian rhythmicity in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis

Oct 16, 2019The Journal of experimental biology

Natural daily rhythms in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis shown by environmental cues

AI simplified

Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

Lab-reared sea anemones exhibit strong circadian rhythms across various light conditions.

Anemones displayed robust circadian activity rhythms (approximately 24 hours) under light-dark cycles and continuous darkness.
Reduced circadian rhythmicity was observed under continuous light conditions.
Some individuals showed circatidal rhythmicity, indicating variability in response to environmental cues.
A significant number of transcripts (1640) exhibited diurnal rhythmicity, while only 64 showed semidiurnal rhythmicity.
Diurnal transcripts included key circadian regulators and genes upregulated by ultraviolet radiation, suggesting a link to solar influence.

AI simplified

Considerable advances in chronobiology have been made through controlled laboratory studies, but distinct temporal rhythms can emerge under natural environmental conditions. Lab-rearedsea anemones exhibit circadian behavioral and physiological rhythmsGiven that these anemones inhabit shallow estuarine environments subject to tidal inputs, it was unclear whether circadian rhythmicity would persist following entrainment in natural conditions, or whether circatidal periodicity would predominate.were conditioned within a marsh environment, where they experienced strong daily temperature cycles as well as brief tidal flooding around the full and new moons. Upon retrieval, anemones exhibited strong circadian (∼24 h) activity rhythms under a light-dark cycle or continuous darkness, but reduced circadian rhythmicity under continuous light. However, some individuals in each light condition showed circadian rhythmicity, and a few individuals showed circatidal rhythmicity. Consistent with the behavioral studies, a large number of transcripts (1640) exhibited diurnal rhythmicity compared with very few (64) with semidiurnal rhythmicity. Diurnal transcripts included core circadian regulators, and 101 of 434 (23%) genes that were previously found to be upregulated by exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Together, these behavioral and transcriptional studies show that circadian rhythmicity predominates and suggest that solar radiation drives physiological cycles in this sediment-dwelling subtidal animal. Nematostella vectensis. Nematostella

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View full text ↗View full text (PDF) ↗

Environmental entrainment demonstrates natural circadian rhythmicity in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief

Abstract

Full Text

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief