The central nervous system is a complex organ whose proper function is critical for coordination of locomotion, sensing and responding to environmental conditions, and is closely tied to animal survival. Understanding how such a complex organ develops represents a fundamental question in animal biology. Detailed cellular and molecular knowledge of neural development is limited to studies in model systems of two of the three major bilaterian clades, the ecdysozoans and deuterostomes. Capitella is a segmented worm and member of the third bilaterian clade, the lophotrochozoans. This project employs cellular, molecular and developmental approaches to characterize development of the centralized nervous system in this annelid model. Capitella offers several advantages for neurogenic studies, most notably that it undergoes both embryonic and adult neurogenesis, it exhibits robust adult regeneration and its genome has been fully sequenced. Early stages of brain development will be investigated using cell labeling methods, time-lapse video microscopy, and gene silencing techniques. The origin, specification, mode of internalization, and mitotic activity of neural progenitor cells of the Capitella nervous system will be determined. Molecular mechanisms controlling these processes will be analyzed using a combination of knockdown, mis-expression and pharmacological approaches. The project will provide crucial information of how the central nervous system is generated in polychaete annelids, fill a current gap in knowledge of the lophotrochozoans, and yield insights into the evolution of the centralized nervous system.
The results of this project are of interest to several fields of biology including neurobiology, developmental biology and evolutionary biology. In addition, the proposed work will refine and further methodology for studying gene function in the model Capitella. The project will integrate training with research and through a commitment by the PI to training in the laboratory environment. Women and underrepresented groups such as Pacific Islanders will be encouraged to participate in the nation's scientific enterprise. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and outreach activities to the local community.
