What does an octopus brain look like? This shows your genome

Word Cephalopods Refers to all marine species whose head is literally connected to their limbs, e.g squid, the octopuses, the Squid and the Nautilus. In some cases their size can be impressive, reaching more than twenty metres. However, what makes cephalopods truly unique is their nervous system, which in the case of coccidian cephalopods is the largest among invertebrates, which includes about 800 species. They are able to perform sophisticated behaviors such as gathering information from their environment to adapt its color or shape, or even using tools that suit them.

Precisely because of that complex nervous system, With its advanced learning ability and exceptional camouflage abilities, it was necessary to go one step further and present the genome assembly to the scientific community at the chromosomal scale of the common octopus, Common octopus (Cuvier, 1797), not yet available. (Read: US removes 21 species from Endangered Species Act because they are extinct)

This was the main goal of the international research in which the National Center for Genetic Analysis (CNAG) participated. The study was published in the journal G3: Genes, Genomes, Geneticsis located within Easy Genomics ProjectIt is a collaborative initiative coordinated by Evo GotDirector of CNAG, which aims to provide DNA sequencing technologies to researchers in academia and industry.

One of the most important contributions of the study was the opportunity to discover more about the workings of the brain, by studying the neural plasticity of the brains of cephalopods. (Read: Water levels in the Amazon River reach their lowest level in 121 years)

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“It is extremely gratifying to see such a challenging project like this achieve such an impressive result. Once again, the boundaries of what is possible using genetic techniques have been pushed beyond when it comes to tackling very complex genomes. It also highlights the need for close collaboration between Researchers trying to get ahead and cutting-edge technology processes for centers like CNAG.

23,000 genes have been decoded in Spain using the latest genomics technologies

At CNAG, the Sequencing Unit and Genome Assembly and Annotation Team contributed significantly to the study, performing whole genome sequencing (WGS) using… Latest genomic technologiessuch as those from Illumina, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and 10X Genomics, apply chromatin communications to achieve genome assembly at the chromosomal level.

According to researcher CNAG. Tyler Alioto: “Assembling the common octopus genome’s 30 chromosomes and more than 23,000 genes has been made easier using a range of new sequencing technologies. DNA Capable of reading very long segments of DNA simultaneously and a complementary sequencing method capable of assembling assembled sequences into chromosomes. This genome presented an unprecedented computational challenge, due to the complexity of the underlying genome. “We are really happy with the final results.”

A new genetic map is available

The result of the research was quite successful, highlighting previous genomic studies, in particular those that helped greatly in describing the cellular diversity of the developing brain, the evolution of cephalopod brains and the repertoire of cephalopod-specific non-coding RNAs. Cephalopods.

Assembly contains 2.8 billion base pairs, 99.34% of which are located on 30 chromosomes. The common octopus annotation includes 23,423 protein-coding genes. Just for reference, the human genome contains 20,000 genes, on 23 chromosomes. (Read: The decree regulating the country’s Environmental Management Fund is now ready)

In addition to being an important emerging model for future evolutionary studies of cephalopods, the chromosomal-level genomics of cephalopods Common octopus It will be a breakthrough in comparative neuroscience, cognitive research and developmental biology. The scientific community will have another tool to delve deeper into the study of the nervous system, Learning and memorynot only in the field of cephalopods, but also in the field of mammals.

In fact, this species is so fascinating, especially in the scientific field, that studies on these animals have a long tradition, especially since the neuroplasticity of the octopus brain – that is, the ability of the brain to change and adapt as new things appear. Educated and experienced – provide evidence of the existence of structures functionally similar to those in the body Mammalian brain. This also makes them a comparative model group for neurophysiological studies.

On the other hand, his ability to do so Rejuvenate parts of your bodyCombined with the rapid changes in their body patterns, which are important for camouflage and communication, octopuses make them a popular research subject for studying how these innovative traits emerge—and change—during evolution.