Finally published in Advanced Science, the premium open access journal of Wiley: our phylogenetic and functional characterization of pentameric ligand-gated ion channels (pLGICs) from the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis (http://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202515481). We uncovered a large variety of putative inhibitory pLGICs in the phylum Cnidaria, the sister group to all bilaterian animals. Phylogenetic analysis suggests a complex evolutionary history of inhibitory pLGICs with diverse neurotransmitter ligands. We show that a subgroup of these cnidarian pLGICs is activated by glutamate, an excitatory transmitter in vertebrates.
This project was a close collaboration with the group of Ulrich Technau from the University of Vienna.
