Electric organ discharge (EOD) and prey capture behaviour in the electric eel, Electrophorus electricus

1979 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 311-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Bauer
Keyword(s):  
Prey Capture ◽  
Electric Organ Discharge ◽  
Electric Organ ◽  
Electrophorus Electricus ◽  
Electric Eel

scholarly journals The third form electric organ discharge of electric eels

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Xu ◽  
Xiang Cui ◽  
Huiyuan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
High Voltage ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
Electric Organ Discharge ◽  
Electric Organ ◽  
The Third ◽  
Electric Organs ◽  
Electric Eel ◽  
New Finding ◽  
Discharge Behavior ◽  
Unique Species

AbstractThe electric eel is a unique species that has evolved three electric organs. Since the 1950s, electric eels have generally been assumed to use these three organs to generate two forms of electric organ discharge (EOD): high-voltage EOD for predation and defense and low-voltage EOD for electrolocation and communication. However, why electric eels evolved three electric organs to generate two forms of EOD and how these three organs work together to generate these two forms of EOD have not been clear until now. Here, we present the third form of independent EOD of electric eels: middle-voltage EOD. We suggest that every form of EOD is generated by one electric organ independently and reveal the typical discharge order of the three electric organs. We also discuss hybrid EODs, which are combinations of these three independent EODs. This new finding indicates that the electric eel discharge behavior and physiology and the evolutionary purpose of the three electric organs are more complex than previously assumed. The purpose of the middle-voltage EOD still requires clarification.

scholarly journals Genomic Survey of Tyrosine Kinases Repertoire in Electrophorus electricus With an Emphasis on Evolutionary Conservation and Diversification

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 117693432092251
Author(s):  
Ling Li ◽  
Dangyun Liu ◽  
Ake Liu ◽  
Jingquan Li ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tyrosine Kinases ◽  
Function Analysis ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Domain Architecture ◽  
Electric Organ ◽  
Evolutionary Divergence ◽  
Evolutionary Analysis ◽  
Electrophorus Electricus ◽  
Organ Identity ◽  
Electric Eel

Tyrosine kinases (TKs) play key roles in the regulation of multicellularity in organisms and involved primarily in cell growth, differentiation, and cell-to-cell communication. Genome-wide characterization of TKs has been conducted in many metazoans; however, systematic information regarding this superfamily in Electrophorus electricus (electric eel) is still lacking. In this study, we identified 114 TK genes in the E electricus genome and investigated their evolution, molecular features, and domain architecture using phylogenetic profiling to gain a better understanding of their similarities and specificity. Our results suggested that the electric eel TK (EeTK) repertoire was shaped by whole-genome duplications (WGDs) and tandem duplication events. Compared with other vertebrate TKs, gene members in Jak, Src, and EGFR subfamily duplicated specifically, but with members lost in Eph, Axl, and Ack subfamily in electric eel. We also conducted an exhaustive survey of TK genes in genomic databases, identifying 1674 TK proteins in 31 representative species covering all the main metazoan lineages. Extensive evolutionary analysis indicated that TK repertoire in vertebrates tended to be remarkably conserved, but the gene members in each subfamily were very variable. Comparative expression profile analysis showed that electric organ tissues and muscle shared a similar pattern with specific highly expressed TKs (ie, epha7, musk, jak1, and pdgfra), suggesting that regulation of TKs might play an important role in specifying an electric organ identity from its muscle precursor. We further identified TK genes exhibiting tissue-specific expression patterns, indicating that members in TKs participated in subfunctionalization representing an evolutionary divergence required for the performance of different tissues. This work generates valuable information for further gene function analysis and identifying candidate TK genes reflecting their unique tissue-function specializations in electric eel.

scholarly journals Eel electric organ: hyperexpressing calmodulin system.

1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 950-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
R P Munjaal ◽  
C G Connor ◽  
R Turner ◽  
J R Dedman
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Calcium Binding ◽  
Genome Rearrangement ◽  
Electric Organ ◽  
Functional Expression ◽  
Cellular Regulation ◽  
Calmodulin Binding ◽  
Electrophorus Electricus ◽  
Gene Copies ◽  
Electric Eel

The electroplax of the electric eel Electrophorus electricus is the most abundant source of the calcium-binding protein calmodulin. The electroplax has 250 times the amount of calmodulin and its mRNA than eel skeletal muscle. Our data suggest that there is no major difference in gene copies, the degree of methylation, or genome rearrangement of the calmodulin gene in DNAs from eel electroplax and muscle. Differences in the calmodulin-binding proteins in electroplax and muscle suggest a differential role for the functional expression of calmodulin in cellular regulation.

Eel electric organ: hyperexpressing calmodulin system

1986 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 950-954
Author(s):  
R P Munjaal ◽  
C G Connor ◽  
R Turner ◽  
J R Dedman
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Calcium Binding ◽  
Genome Rearrangement ◽  
Electric Organ ◽  
Functional Expression ◽  
Cellular Regulation ◽  
Calmodulin Binding ◽  
Electrophorus Electricus ◽  
Gene Copies ◽  
Electric Eel

The electroplax of the electric eel Electrophorus electricus is the most abundant source of the calcium-binding protein calmodulin. The electroplax has 250 times the amount of calmodulin and its mRNA than eel skeletal muscle. Our data suggest that there is no major difference in gene copies, the degree of methylation, or genome rearrangement of the calmodulin gene in DNAs from eel electroplax and muscle. Differences in the calmodulin-binding proteins in electroplax and muscle suggest a differential role for the functional expression of calmodulin in cellular regulation.

Microheterogeneity of desmin in the electric organ and dorsal muscle of the electric eel Electrophorus electricus

1995 ◽  
Vol 111 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.C.R. Cordeiro ◽  
V. Moura Neto ◽  
M. Benchimol ◽  
M.V.C. Faria ◽  
C. Chagas
Keyword(s):  
Electric Organ ◽  
Dorsal Muscle ◽  
Electrophorus Electricus ◽  
Electric Eel

Desmin filaments in the electrocytes of the electric organ of the electric eel Electrophorus electricus

1996 ◽  
Vol 285 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. C. R. Cordeiro ◽  
M. Benchimol ◽  
C. S. Mermelstein ◽  
L. A. Sá ◽  
M. V. C. Faria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Organ ◽  
Electrophorus Electricus ◽  
Electric Eel

scholarly journals A sodium-activated potassium channel supports high-frequency firing and reduces energetic costs during rapid modulations of action potential amplitude

2013 ◽  
Vol 109 (7) ◽  
pp. 1713-1723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Markham ◽  
Leonard K. Kaczmarek ◽  
Harold H. Zakon
Keyword(s):  
Action Potential ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Electric Fish ◽  
Electric Organ Discharge ◽  
Electric Organ ◽  
Weakly Electric Fish ◽  
Energetic Costs ◽  
Dynamic Regulation ◽  
Voltage Gated

We investigated the ionic mechanisms that allow dynamic regulation of action potential (AP) amplitude as a means of regulating energetic costs of AP signaling. Weakly electric fish generate an electric organ discharge (EOD) by summing the APs of their electric organ cells (electrocytes). Some electric fish increase AP amplitude during active periods or social interactions and decrease AP amplitude when inactive, regulated by melanocortin peptide hormones. This modulates signal amplitude and conserves energy. The gymnotiform Eigenmannia virescens generates EODs at frequencies that can exceed 500 Hz, which is energetically challenging. We examined how E. virescens meets that challenge. E. virescens electrocytes exhibit a voltage-gated Na+current ( INa) with extremely rapid recovery from inactivation (τrecov= 0.3 ms) allowing complete recovery of Na+current between APs even in fish with the highest EOD frequencies. Electrocytes also possess an inwardly rectifying K+current and a Na+-activated K+current ( IKNa), the latter not yet identified in any gymnotiform species. In vitro application of melanocortins increases electrocyte AP amplitude and the magnitudes of all three currents, but increased IKNais a function of enhanced Na+influx. Numerical simulations suggest that changing INamagnitude produces corresponding changes in AP amplitude and that KNachannels increase AP energy efficiency (10–30% less Na+influx/AP) over model cells with only voltage-gated K+channels. These findings suggest the possibility that E. virescens reduces the energetic demands of high-frequency APs through rapidly recovering Na+channels and the novel use of KNachannels to maximize AP amplitude at a given Na+conductance.

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