Cephalopods and Marine Biology

Advect, retain, sense: cilia-driven vortices deliver symbiont bacteria and flowborne cues to a mucociliary olfactory organ

This study identifies the olfactory organ in bobtail squid as a site for detecting and retaining symbiotic bacteria through cilia-driven vortices, distinct from the light organ.

Environmental control of morphological color changes in the Bigfin Reef Squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana

This study shows that environmental conditions and age influence chromatophore density and size in squid, revealing a trade-off between number and expansion of color cells.

Generation of a transgenic cephalopod

This paper reports the generation of stable transgenic dwarf cuttlefish expressing fluorescent proteins using CRISPR and transposons, enabling live imaging of cell dynamics during embryonic development.

Understanding cephalopod regeneration: impact of sexual maturation, injury severity and general anesthesia on octopus arm restoration

This study investigates how sexual maturation, injury severity, and anesthesia affect octopus arm regeneration speed, finding that reproductive state is the strongest determinant.

Historical squid biomass increase is not explained by rising temperature but rather by loss of top predators.

The paper models the historical increase in squid biomass, finding that predator loss from fishing, not rising temperatures, explains the trend, with temperature instead reducing biomass due to metabolic demands.

Attachment performance of cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) suckers depends on the interaction between papillae and substrate topography

This study examines how cuttlefish sucker papillae interact with substrate roughness to enhance attachment performance, finding optimal forces when substrate roughness matches papillae height.

Intra-male reduction in sperm size persists during growth in cuttlefish despite the absence of insemination-site dimorphism.

The paper shows that cuttlefish males produce dimorphic sperm despite lacking insemination-site dimorphism, with smaller males having longer sperm flagella and greater within-individual variation.

Under pressure: Evolutionary trade-offs shape the single visual opsin of deep-sea octopods

This study investigates how the single visual opsin in deep-sea octopods evolves across different light environments, finding specific amino acid substitutions that alter spectral sensitivity and structural properties to adapt to pressure and light conditions.

Protocol for genotyping cephalopod sex using a skin swab and quantitative PCR

This paper presents a protocol for non-invasively determining the sex of cephalopods using skin swabs and qPCR, applicable to multiple species as early as 3 hours post-hatching.

Disentangling Cephalopod Chromatophores Motor Units with Computer Vision

The paper uses computer vision and dimensionality reduction to analyze chromatophore motor control in cephalopods, revealing the organization of motor units and their neural control.

Ecological not social factors explain brain size in cephalopods

The paper investigates factors influencing brain size in cephalopods, finding ecological factors, not social ones, are more strongly associated with larger brain sizes.

Molecular and ultrastructural characterization of the intramuscular nerve cords of the octopus arm

The paper characterizes the structure and molecular composition of intramuscular nerve cords in octopus arms using electron microscopy and in situ labeling, revealing distinct cell types and molecular markers.

A Primary Cell Culture Platform for Studying Venom Gland and Brain Tissue in Octopus

This paper establishes primary cell cultures from octopus venom gland and brain tissues, enabling cellular-level study of their biology and venom production.

Chromosome-scale genome assembly of the European common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis

The paper presents a chromosome-scale genome assembly of the common cuttlefish Sepia officinalis, revealing its true karyotype and identifying cephalopod-specific gene expansions.

Diversity and divergence of two sympatric, sibling octopus species

This study compares population genomes of two sympatric octopus species to examine recent evolutionary divergence and selection patterns.

Multiple longitudinal tracts in the cephalopod arm sensorimotor system

The paper identifies multiple longitudinal fiber tracts in the cephalopod arm sensorimotor system, revealing intrinsic connections for coordinated arm and sucker movements.

Cephalopod Genome Expansion Drives Broader Reflectin Domain Boundaries

The paper expands the classification of reflectin domains in cephalopods to accommodate sequence diversity and introduces a framework for identifying reflectins across species.

A non-invasive method to genotype cephalopod sex by quantitative PCR

This paper develops a non-invasive method to genotype cephalopod sex using quantitative PCR, validated across multiple species and sequencing data.

Two de novo transcriptome assemblies and functional annotations from juvenile cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis) under various metal and pCO2 exposure conditions

The paper presents two annotated de novo transcriptome assemblies from juvenile cuttlefish under various metal and pCO2 exposure conditions, revealing age-specific transcriptomic landscapes.

Protocol for calcium imaging of acute brain slices from Octopus vulgaris hatchlings during application of neurotransmitters

This paper describes a protocol for calcium imaging in Octopus vulgaris brain slices to study single-cell responses to neurotransmitters.

Hierarchical processing and polarization encoding in the cephalopod visual system

This study investigates how cephalopods process visual information, revealing hierarchical processing and polarization sensitivity in their visual system.

Long-range neural pathways for octopus chemotactile processing revealed from periphery-to-brain by centimeter-field microCT

The paper uses high-resolution microCT to create a 3D digital octopus, revealing neural pathways and organ structures from periphery to brain.

Symbiont diversity and light-organ morphology in Sepiola affinis

This study characterizes the Sepiola affinis squid-vibrio symbiosis, identifying two new Vibrio species and describing the light-organ morphology and temperature preferences of the symbionts.

Identification of molecular nociceptors in Octopus vulgaris through functional characterisation in Caenorhabditis elegans

The paper identifies 51 potential nociceptive genes in Octopus vulgaris using a bioinformatic pipeline and validates 18 in C. elegans through loss-of-function experiments.

Developmental and transcriptomic responses of Hawaiian bobtail squid early stages to ocean warming and acidification

This study examines the developmental and transcriptomic responses of Hawaiian bobtail squid to ocean warming and acidification, finding trade-offs in metabolism versus development and molecular changes like alternative splicing.

Episodic-Like Memory in a Simulation of Cuttlefish Behavior

This paper develops a model of episodic-like memory in cuttlefish behavior, showing how memory access influences decision-making in predator-prey scenarios.

Neurochemically-evoked activity in slice preparations of the octopus arm nerve cord

The paper uses calcium imaging to study how neurotransmitters and neuromodulators affect neuronal activity in the octopus arm nerve cord, revealing state-dependent modulation and response patterns.

Octopus "Hypnosis": Inducing Tonic Immobility for Studying Local Sensorimotor Responses and Arm-Sucker Coordination

The paper introduces a modified tonic immobility method for octopuses to study local sensorimotor responses and arm-sucker coordination without full anesthesia.

Synchronous and asynchronous counterillumination by three types of photophores in the firefly squid, Watasenia scintillans

This study reveals that three photophore types in Watasenia scintillans synchronously and asynchronously produce counterillumination, with green photophores also functioning in darkness, suggesting roles in crypsis and conspecific signaling.

A sensory system for mating in octopus

The paper identifies progesterone chemotactile receptors in octopus hectocotylus, showing their evolution from neurotransmitter receptors and role in mating.