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Calcium requirement in the luminescence control of three ophiuroid species Yannick Dewael*; J Mallefet Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Bat. Carnoy, Place Croix du Sud, 5, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium      *(yannick.dewael@advalvas.be) It has been shown that calcium is involved in the control of the luminous reaction in many invertebrate phyla. The aim of this work was to study the calcium requirement of potassium chloride induced light emission from arm segments and dissociated luminous cells of three ophiuroid species, Ophiopsila californica, O. aranea and Amphiura filiformis. Results show gradual inhibition of the luminescence when preparations are incubated in artificial sea water with lowered calcium concentration. The calcium substitutes Ba++ and Sr++ could act either as blockers or as substitutes, depending on the ophiuroid species; while calcium blockers Co++ and Ni++ inhibited light emission in the three species. Nature of putative calcium channel has been studied pharmacologically using 1,4-dihydropyridine, benzodiazepine, phenylalkylamine and trifluoroperazine. From our results, it has been postulated that calcium could act via a voltage-gated calcium channel of L class in O. californica and A. filiformis but not in O. aranea. The precise role of calcium in luminescence control still remains unknown; it could act as a second messenger or as a cofactor of the luminous reaction. [Talk: dewael.yannic.24571]

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