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Effect of hypoxia and reoxygenation on the nervous system of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis
Summary
Despite its title referencing neuroplasticity in marine mussels, this paper studies how the Mediterranean mussel's nervous system adapts to cycles of low oxygen and re-oxygenation — not microplastic pollution. It examines molecular and cellular mechanisms of hypoxia tolerance in marine bivalves and is not relevant to microplastics or human health.
Abstract Background Intertidal marine bivalves constantly experience oxygen (O 2 ) fluctuations, tolerating hypoxia and reoxygenation cycles without injury. The cellular and molecular mechanisms behind the physiological tolerance to hypoxia/reoxygenation in these organisms are largely unexplored, especially within the nervous system, a highly metabolically active tissue that rely on O 2 for its correct functioning. Results Here, we provide a histochemical characterization of each specific ganglion of Mytilus galloprovincialis ( M. galloprovincialis ) nervous system. Our data indicate that catecholaminergic, peptidergic, and serotonergic neurons distributed within the pedal ganglia contribute to the homeostatic response to hypoxia and subsequent reoxygenation. However, neuroplasticity certainly represents only one component of a broader, integrated set of strategies supporting adaptation to hypoxia and subsequent reoxygenation in M. galloprovincialis . To uncover additional molecular mechanisms, we employed transcriptomic and miRNomic approaches on the pedal ganglia. We provided a list of candidate adaptive genes controlling multiple biological processes, including the regulation of cellular homeostasis, death, proliferation and mitochondrial biology. We identified mature miRNAs in M. galloprovincialis pedal ganglia, including novel miRNAs. miRNome analysis showed no significant changes during hypoxia and reoxygenation, suggesting that post-transcriptional regulation mediated by miRNAs plays a secondary role in M. galloprovincialis nervous system challenged by fluctuating O 2 conditions. Conclusions Overall, this study represents the first comprehensive insights into the molecular and cellular regulatory mechanisms enabling the nervous system of M. galloprovincialis to adapt to natural O 2 fluctuations, thereby advancing our understanding of the physiological resilience of marine organisms to environmental perturbations.
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