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MBL March Madness: Longfin Squid

Published on March 19, 2021
MBL March Madness: Longfin Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii)
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MBL March Madness: Longfin Squid (Doryteuthis pealeii)

Doryteuthis pealeii, often called the “Woods Hole squid” by locals, is a longstanding model for cellular neuroscience, beginning with Nobel Prize winning research on nerve impulses in the 1950s. Studies with Doryteuthis pealeii have led to major advances in neurobiology, including description of the fundamental mechanisms of neurotransmission. At the MBL, it is used as a model organism to understand adaptive coloration, development, vision, and behavior. Like other cephalopods, Doryteuthis pealeii has the ability to extensively recode its own genetic information within messenger RNA. In summer of 2020, scientists at the MBL used CRISPR Cas-9 to knock out a target gene in Doryteuthis pealeii — a first for any cephalopod.

Cool facts

    • It is colorblind but has special pigment and reflector cells in the skin, and can rapidly change color to camouflage.
    • Doryteuthis has a giant axon that is visible to the naked eye. This axon is important in its jet-propelled escape behavior. By studying it, scientists have learned about how nerve cells send signals.
    • It has three hearts, two gills, and an ink sac.

(ID Card Photo Credit: Elaine Bearer)

More about MBL’s work on the longfin squid

First Gene Knockout in a Cephalopod is Achieved at MBL | MBL.edu

New Genetic Editing Powers Discovered in Squid | MBL.edu

Squid Studies Suggest New Route to Therapy for ALS, Targeting Synaptic Dysfunction | MBL.edu

Squid Skin Reveals an Elegant Interplay of Coloration Strategies | MBL.edu

  • Longfin Squid embryo. Credit: Carrie Albertin
    Longfin Squid embryo. Credit: Carrie Albertin | Equipment: Zeiss LSM 780
  • Longfin squid. Credit: Elaine Bearer
    Longfin squid. Credit: Elaine Bearer
  • Longfin squid embryos Credit: Wang Chi Lau
    Longfin squid embryos Credit: Wang Chi Lau
  • Longfin Squid: Credit. Roger Hanlon
    Longfin Squid. Credit. Roger Hanlon
  • Longfin Squid: Credit. Roger Hanlon
    Longfin Squid: Credit. Roger Hanlon

Publications from the MBL

Crawford, Karen et al. (2020) Highly Efficient Knockout of a Squid Pigmentation Gene. Current Biology. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.099

Williams, T.L., Senft, S.L., Yeo, J. et al. (2019) Dynamic pigmentary and structural coloration within cephalopod chromatophore organs. Nat Commun doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08891-x

Kingston ACN, Wardill TJ, Hanlon RT, Cronin TW (2015) An Unexpected Diversity of Photoreceptor Classes in the Longfin Squid, Doryteuthis pealeii. PLoS ONE. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0135381

T. Gonzalez-Bellido, T. J. Wardill, K. C. Buresch, K. M. Ulmer, R. T. Hanlon (2014) Journal of Experimental Biology. doi.org/10.1242/jeb.091884

Oshima M, di Pauli von Treuheim T, Carroll J, et al. (2016) Peripheral injury alters schooling behavior in squid, Doryteuthis pealeii. Behavioural Processes. doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2016.04.008

Alon, Shahar et al. (2014) The majority of transcripts in the squid nervous system are extensively recoded by A-to-I RNA editing. eLife. doi.org/10.7554/eLife.05198


Division: Lophotrochozoa

Lophotrochozoa is one of the major groups within the animal kingdom. It comprises: segmented worms, mollusks (the phylum that includes snails, squid, octopuses, and clams) as well as lophophores, a group of animals that include clam-like organisms known brachiopods and bryozoans, sedentary colony animals sometimes referred to as “moss animals.” Learn more

Meet the Other Lophotrochozoan Organisms

    • Annelid Worm (Platynereis dumerilii)
    • Rotifer (Brachionus manjavacas)
    • California Two-Spot Octopus (Octopus bimaculoides)

What is MBL March Madness?

Based on the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament, during MBL March Madness, popular MBL organisms face off for your votes. YOU have the opportunity to decide what organism is crowned victorious by voting for your favorite organisms in a series of head-to-head match-ups. Voting will take place on the MBL social media channels from March 29 – April 7.

Learn more and download a bracket at mbl.edu/march-madness


Support science. Support the MBL.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cephalopod, cephs, doryteuthis pealeii, long-fin squid, longfin squid, March Madness, mbl march madness, Squid, woods hole squid

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