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Pharmacological study of luminescence control of Amphiura filiformis 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) Amphiura filiformis (O.F. Müller) is a brittlestar frequently found on sub-tidal bottoms off the coasts of Europe and Mediterranean Sea. Despite numerous eco-ethological researches on this species, nearly nothing is known about its capability to produce light. In 1985, the first data on Amphiura filiformis bioluminescence was reported: light emission is blue in colour, it appears to be intracellular, the luminous cells, called photocytes, are restricted to the arms' spines. No physiological data concerning the luminous control of A. filiformis is available. The aim of this study was to characterize the control mechanisms of light emission using isolated arm segments. Light emissions were induced either by whole depolarisation of tissues using potassium chloride (KCl 200mM) or by neurotransmitters classically found in echinoderm nervous tissues (10-3M to 10-5M). Among all tested drugs, only acetylcholine, 5-HT, dopamine and taurine induced a series of light flashes. Pharmacological experiments have been performed in order to characterize precisely the types and sub-types of receptor involved in the luminescence control of Amphiura filiformis. [Poster: dewael.yannic.24572]

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