Date of Graduation
5-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biology (MS)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Biological Sciences
Advisor/Mentor
Nakanishi, Nagayasu
Committee Member
Lewis, Jeffery
Second Committee Member
Evans, Timothy
Keywords
cnidarian neuromuscular organization, epithelia-muscular cell, multineuronal innervation, ultrastructural
Abstract
Abstract Here, I report new ultrastructural evidence for multineuronal innervation (many-one) of a single epithelia-muscular cell in sea-anemone cnidarian Nematostella vectensis. Using Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF-SEM) and ImageJ, I found that EMCs are located at the base of ectoderm, with an elongated cell body that includes basal processes, a bilobed nucleus, and myofibrils aligned parallel to the basal surface along with their structural quantification. Notably, I found multiple mechanosensory neurons form synapses with a single EMC. These findings enhance our understanding of cnidarian neuromuscular organization and reveal that coordination between sensory and contractile systems in N. vectensis is far more intricate than previously recognized. Moreover, the presence of multineuronal innervation suggests that the last common ancestor of cnidarians and bilaterians may have relied on a similar neuromuscular system—one that bilaterians subsequently diverged from as they evolved toward more centralized, single-neuron–dominated motor circuits.
Citation
Das, A. (2026). Structural Evidence for Innervation of a Single Epitheliomuscular Cell by Multiple Sensory Neurons in the Sea Anemone Nematostella vectensis. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/6114
