Biophysical Characterization and Evolutionary Analysis of the Presynaptic Voltage-gated calcium (Cav2) Channel in Trichoplax adhaerens

Trichoplax adhaerens is a primitive metazoan with six cell types that lacks a nervous system and synapses. One cell type, dubbed gland cells, line the periphery of its flat disc- shaped body and resemble neurons by expressing membrane apposed secretory vesicles and proteins required for regulated neuronal exocytosis including a presynaptic Cav2 calcium channel homologue. Trichoplax is a motile behaving animal that can integrate sensory information with cell activity, where it will pause its ciliary locomotion upon detecting algae under its body, then locally secrete hydrolytic enzymes to lyse and consume the algae by external digestion. In this project, a molecular characterization of the cloned Trichoplax Cav2 channel, with a focus on its biophysical and pharmacological properties will be examined. My work will provide insights into the evolution of the nervous system, where pre-synaptic calcium channels are essential for translating electrical signals into regulated secretion of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides.M.Sc