Project description
Evolution of neuro-signaling: lessons from unicellular organisms.
Unicellular organisms, such as diatoms, algae, and protists, are able to recognise their environmental boundaries, respond to stimuli and change their behaviour accordingly. Yet these primitive life forms do not have nervous systems. The EU-funded project EvoMotion aims to determine the sensorimotor pathways and early movement control mechanisms in unicellular organisms, demonstrating that a nervous system is not required for their complex behaviour. Research will involve interdisciplinary approaches including physiological assays, computational analysis and testing hypothesis using robotics-aided experiments. This investigation is going to develop novel designs for behavioural studies of aneural unicellular organisms to probe their capacity to interact with the environment.
Objective
Even unicellular organisms have a sense of self -- that basal recognition of where their own membranous boundaries end, and where the extracellular environment in which they inhabit begins. Yet unlike the cells in your body, these primitive lifeforms can reproduce, and exist autonomously, most importantly, they can respond to stimuli, and change their behaviour accordingly. Responsive self-movement is a defining characteristic of life, which for simple organisms is essential to enable to them to explore and react to their surroundings, improve their circumstances, and outcompete other cells. In this proposal, I will determine the sensorimotor pathways of unicellular organisms and the physical mechanisms of early movement control, showing that a nervous system is not required for complex behaviour, particularly, 1) motility originating from cell shape changes by cilia and flagella, and 2) the as-yet unexplained surface gliding movement of diatoms which occurs in the complete absence of shape changes. I will develop novel interdisciplinary approaches, merging physiological experiments on diverse unicellular species with unique behavioural features, with theoretical modelling, mathematical/computational analysis of behaviour, as well as robotics-aided hypothesis testing. To highlight the importance of fast, nonequilibrium sensing in unicells and its significance for the evolution of nervous signalling, I will pioneer the integration of high-speed imaging and live-cell perturbations to resolve and understand previously unseen cellular processes and excitable phenomena. These investigations will culminate in novel designs for long-time behavioural assays which will probe the limits of aneural organisms and their capacity to perceive and interact with their surroundings.
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Funding Scheme
ERC-STG - Starting GrantHost institution
EX4 4QJ Exeter
United Kingdom