The lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) is a species of great interest not only from a culinary point of view, since its flavor leaves no one indifferent, but also from a scientific point of view, being considered a rough diamond for research. Its interest is justified by its atypical life cycle as a vertebrate and its primitive characters. There are fossils from 350 million years ago with aspects similar to those of today’s lampreys. It is therefore one of the oldest vertebrates, so its nervous system is one of those that can most help understand the functioning of the brain. These characteristics make it a species widely used as a study model in various laboratories throughout the world, including Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany, England, Sweden, Japan, Canada, Australia and the United States.
The recent publication of the complete genome of the sea lamprey, together with its increasing use in comparative and evolutionary development studies (evo-devo), makes these animals a promising model in the field of biomedicine, being able to provide interesting results related to alterations in blood coagulation, biliary atresia or spinal cord injuries. Among all the scientific fields that deal with this species, that related to the evolution of the central nervous system (CNS) of vertebrates is one of the most interesting.
The NEUROLAM (Lamprey Neurobiology) research group, located at the Faculty of Biology (University of Vigo), and which is part of the ECIMAT Research Center, has been studying the organization and development of the CNS of lampreys since its foundation in 1998 and co-led the proposal of a new paradigm of organization of the forebrain of these animals, the prosomeric model, a model widely accepted today. One of the challenges of this group is to study the adaptation of the olfactory system to different environmental and behavioral conditions, since this system receives new neurons throughout the life of the animals. Its final purpose focuses on finding answers to some aspects related to neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, in humans.
To learn more about the evolution of lamprey and its implications for research, visit our blog:
https://oceanoecimat.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/la-lamprea-algo-mas-que-un-manjar/
