Research results that octopuses adapt to changes in water temperature by rewriting RNA – GIGAZINE

Research results show that octopuses adapt to changes in water temperature by rewriting their DNA

By Robin Gwen Agarwal (@ANudibranchMom on iNaturalist)

Octopuses are cold-blooded animals that do not have the ability to regulate their body temperature. Therefore, the octopus brain is in constant danger from changes in water temperature. However, octopuses with extremely high intelligence have the ability to instantly rewrite the RNA of neurons in response to changes in water temperature. As a result, a research team led by Joshua Rosenthal of the University of Chicago’s Institute of Marine Biology presented research findings that octopuses respond to both high and low water temperatures.

Temperature-dependent RNA editing in the octopus recodes a neurotransmitter protein: the cell

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.004

Octopuses can rewire their ‘brains’ by editing their RNA in flight: ScienceAlert

https://www.sciencealert.com/octopuses-can-rewire-their-brains-by-editing-their-own-rna-on-the-fly

Octopuses are rewiring their brains to adapt to the sea EurekAlert!

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/991042

The ‘mutation’ that changes the traits and characteristics of an organism occurs when a change occurs in the DNA. Mutations are irreversible changes that can last for generations, while RNA rewriting is a temporary means by which individuals adapt to environmental changes. In general, RNA rewriting takes place in many plants, but it is considered a rare behavior in animals other than cephalopods such as octopuses and squid.

“By rewriting RNA, organisms can express diverse proteins anytime and anywhere,” said Rosenthal. Therefore, the research team investigated whether octopuses rewrite RNA to adapt to changes in water temperature, and whether rewriting RNA affects the function of proteins in the octopus brain. According to Rosenthal and his colleagues, land octopuses experience both rapid changes in water temperature when moving to different depths and gradual changes in water temperature as the season changes.

To determine if RNA rewriting was related to changes in water temperature, the researchers captured wild California two-spotted octopuses and placed them in a 22°C tank to simulate a warm ocean and a cool ocean. They were divided into water tanks at ℃ and allowed to acclimatize. After a few weeks, RNA from each octopus was compared with its own, revealing evidence of RNA editing at more than 60,000 known editing sites.

by Jerry Kerkhart

Elie Eisenberg of Tel Aviv University said, “Of about 60,000 sites surveyed this time, more than 20,000, or about a third, rewrote RNA to adapt to water temperature. This has been observed.” “Rewritten RNA has often been associated with the nervous system, and cold sea octopuses frequently rewrite RNA,” he said.

Next, the research team studied the timing of octopus RNA rewriting. In the experiment, juvenile octopus was used, and the water temperature was raised from 14 °C to 24 °C in increments of 0.5 °C over a period of about 20 hours. At the same time, we also conduct an experiment in which the water temperature is reduced by 0.5°C from 24°C to 14°C. At that time, the extent of RNA rewriting was measured before the water temperature change, immediately after the water temperature change, and 4 days later. As a result of the experiment, a significant change in RNA was observed within 1 day after completion of the change in water temperature, and after 4 days, the change to a new RNA state persisted even after this was completed. It became clear that until now, we had no idea whether rewriting of octopus RNA occurred in a matter of weeks or hours.

Next, the research team focused on two proteins, kinesin and synaptotagmin, which are important for nervous system function, in order to investigate whether octopus RNA rewriting affects the structure and function of the proteins. As a result, it was confirmed that RNA rewriting in both octopuses exposed to warm and cold environments caused changes in the structures of these proteins and affected their functions.. Paddy field.

by Martinus Scriblerus

In addition, adaptation to changes in water temperature via RNA rewriting was observed not only in the California two-spotted octopus examined this time, but also in a close relative of the Veril two-spotted octopus. We speculate that octopuses and cuttlefish also rewrite RNA for temperature adaptation.

However, there are several unknowns about how octopuses control the rewriting of this RNA and why this RNA is rewritten more frequently due to the lower water temperature. In the future, the research team plans to answer these questions and investigate whether octopuses and other cephalopods rewrite RNA in response to aquatic environments such as hypoxia and water pollution.