Crustacean hyperglycemic hormone (CHH) synthesizing cells in the optic lobe, one of the pacemakers of the circadian system, have been shown to be present in crayfish. However, the presence of CHH in the central brain, another putative pacemaker of the multi-oscillatory circadian system, of this decapod and its circadian transcription in the optic lobe and brain have yet to be explored. Therefor...

Skeletal muscle shows dynamic changes in mass that correlate with activity and weight bearing loads. The electrical excitation of the muscle of Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1952) used in this study is graded which requires refined nerve-muscle matching in synaptic efficacy. We used the anterior levator (a.l.) muscle in crayfish as a model to address matching of the extent of nerve terminal and ...

BACKGROUND Nociception is the physiological detection of noxious stimuli. Because of its obvious importance, nociception is expected to be widespread across animal taxa and to trigger robust behaviours reliably. Nociception in invertebrates, such as crustaceans, is poorly studied. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS THREE DECAPOD CRUSTACEAN SPECIES WERE TESTED FOR NOCICEPTIVE BEHAVIOUR: Louisiana ...

Soft tissue repair is a complex process that requires specific communication between multiple cell types to orchestrate effective restoration of physiological functions. Macrophages play a critical role in this wound healing process beginning at the onset of tissue injury. Understanding the signaling mechanisms involved in macrophage recruitment to the wound site is an essential step for develo...

The crustacean hyperglycemic hormone is the most abundant neuropeptide present in the eyestalk of Crustacea and its main role is to control the glucose level in the hemolymph. Our study was aimed at assessing the importance of C-terminal amidation for its biological activity. Two recombinant peptides were produced, Asl-rcHH-Gly with a free carboxyl terminus and Asl-rcHH-amide with an amidated C...