Neural versus alternative integrative systems: molecular insights into origins of neurotransmitters

LL Moroz, DY Romanova… - … Transactions of the …, 2021 - royalsocietypublishing.org
Transmitter signalling is the universal chemical language of any nervous system, but little is
known about its early evolution. Here, we summarize data about the distribution and …

Evolution of glutamatergic signaling and synapses

LL Moroz, MA Nikitin, PG Poličar, AB Kohn… - …, 2021 - Elsevier
Glutamate (Glu) is the primary excitatory transmitter in the mammalian brain. But, we know
little about the evolutionary history of this adaptation, including the selection of l-glutamate …

Amino acids integrate behaviors in nerveless placozoans

MA Nikitin, DY Romanova, SI Borman… - Frontiers in …, 2023 - frontiersin.org
Placozoans are the simplest known free-living animals without recognized neurons and
muscles but a complex behavioral repertoire. However, mechanisms and cellular bases of …

The diversification and lineage-specific expansion of nitric oxide signaling in Placozoa: insights in the evolution of gaseous transmission

LL Moroz, DY Romanova, MA Nikitin, D Sohn… - Scientific reports, 2020 - nature.com
Nitric oxide (NO) is a ubiquitous gaseous messenger, but we know little about its early
evolution. Here, we analyzed NO synthases (NOS) in four different species of placozoans …

[HTML][HTML] Nonsynaptic encoding of behavior by neuropeptides

G Jékely, R Yuste - Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 2024 - Elsevier
Highlights•Neuropeptide signaling forms a chemical connectome overlaid on synaptic
circuits.•Studies on nonbilaterians have revealed nonsynaptic actions of neuropeptides.• …

Selective advantages of synapses in evolution

LL Moroz, DY Romanova - Frontiers in Cell and Developmental …, 2021 - frontiersin.org
The common ancestor of all Metazoa (Urmetazoan) was a nerveless animal (Mackie, 1970,
1990; Moroz, 2009). This hypothetical Urmetazoan likely used electrical and chemical …

Sodium action potentials in placozoa: Insights into behavioral integration and evolution of nerveless animals

DY Romanova, IV Smirnov, MA Nikitin, AB Kohn… - Biochemical and …, 2020 - Elsevier
Placozoa are small disc-shaped animals, representing the simplest known, possibly
ancestral, organization of free-living animals. With only six morphological distinct cell types …

Hidden cell diversity in Placozoa: ultrastructural insights from Hoilungia hongkongensis

DY Romanova, FÚÚ Varoqueaux, J Daraspe… - Cell and tissue …, 2021 - Springer
From a morphological point of view, placozoans are among the most simple free-living
animals. This enigmatic phylum is critical for our understanding of the evolution of animals …

Glycine as a signaling molecule and chemoattractant in Trichoplax (Placozoa): insights into the early evolution of neurotransmitters

DY Romanova, A Heyland, D Sohn, AB Kohn… - …, 2020 - journals.lww.com
The origin and early evolution of neurotransmitter signaling in animals are unclear due to
limited comparative information, primarily about prebilaterian animals. Here, we performed …

The enigmatic Placozoa part 1: Exploring evolutionary controversies and poor ecological knowledge

B Schierwater, HJ Osigus, T Bergmann… - …, 2021 - Wiley Online Library
The placozoan Trichoplax adhaerens is a tiny hairy plate and more simply organized than
any other living metazoan. After its original description by FE Schulze in 1883, it attracted …