Profile
Project title:
The development and evolution of animal neuroglia
Project Summary:
Much remains to be discovered about glia, the non-neuronal cells of the nervous system. Studies have revealed a range of crucial functions from homeostatic support to roles in signal modulation, neuronal circuit formation, and overall nervous system function. Yet, research has largely focused on a limited set of model organisms, leaving vast areas of the tree of life unexplored, and the evolutionary origins of glia, as well as the properties of those early glial cells, remain uncertain. Novel transcriptomic evidence from the Martín-Durán lab indicating the presence of glia in the larvae of the basally branching annelid worm Owenia fusiformis yields an exciting opportunity to investigate the development and evolution of glia. In my PhD project, I will characterise the morphology, molecular identity, and developmental origin of glial cells in O. fusiformis larvae through gene expression visualisation, confocal microscopy, and transcriptomic techniques. Comparative analyses with other invertebrate species, along with functional studies, will further explore glial development and roles in annelids. Ultimately, this research seeks to illuminate the ancestral properties of glia and underlying principles of their development, enhancing our understanding of the evolution of complex nervous systems in animals.
Supervisors: