Antho-RFamide effect on light production in the bioluminescent sea pen Pennatula phosphorea (Octocorallia, Pennatulacea).
Overview
- Marine Biology Laboratory, Université catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Biology of Marine Organisms and Biomimetics Unit, Research Institute for Biosciences, University of Mons, B-7000 Mons, Belgium
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, SE-450 34 Fiskebäckskil, Sweden
Abstract
Bioluminescence in anthozoans is a rapid and coordinated response that relies on nervous control, yet the neurochemical mechanisms underlying light production remain poorly understood. In the sea pen Pennatula phosphorea, mechanical stimulation elicits propagating waves of green light often coupled with muscular contraction, suggesting tight integration between neural, muscular and luminous systems. Here, we investigated the presence and role of RFamide neuropeptides in the control of bioluminescence in P. phosphorea by combining transcriptomic analysis and pharmacological experiments. We identified Antho-RFamide-like precursor sequences in the P. phosphorea transcriptome, characterized by repeated conserved RFamide motifs typical of anthozoan neuropeptide precursors. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a clear differentiation between octocorallian and hexacorallian Antho-RFamide precursor sequences, while highlighting substantial variation in motif repetition number across anthozoan species. Pharmacological assays demonstrated that Antho-RFamide can trigger light emission, providing direct evidence for its involvement in luminescence control. These results support a model in which Antho-RFamide acts as an ancestral neuropeptidergic component of the bioluminescence response, operating alongside catecholaminergic pathways to regulate light emission. We further propose that variation in Antho-RFamide precursor architecture may influence neuropeptide signaling capacity and contribute to functional diversification of the neuropeptide role, including luminescence control within luminous anthozoans. By providing the first functional evidence linking neuropeptide signaling to light production in a sea pen species, this study identified a previously unrecognized role of RFamide peptides in the control of bioluminescence and revealed a complex, multi-layered neurochemical regulatory system underlying light emission in anthozoans.
Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY), from the paper cited above.
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Data
Datasets cited
- bioproject:PRJNA1152785 — at NCBI BioProject; found in the text, “Transcriptome screening and Antho-RFamide…”
Versions
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Version 2, 28 September 2026
- Publisher: — → The Company of Biologists
Version 1, 28 September 2026: the first record
Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 4 authors, 5 keywords, 8 MeSH terms, 4 funders, 57 references.
Cite
This paper
Duchatelet, L., Flammang, P., Dupont, S., & Mallefet, J. (2026). Antho-RFamide effect on light production in the bioluminescent sea pen Pennatula phosphorea (Octocorallia, Pennatulacea). The Journal of experimental biology, 229(9), jeb252487. https://
BibTeX
@article{duchatelet2026a
author = {Duchatelet, Laurent and Flammang, Patrick and Dupont, Sam and Mallefet, Jérôme},
title = {{Antho-RFamide effect on light production in the bioluminescent sea pen Pennatula phosphorea (Octocorallia, Pennatulacea)}},
journal = {The Journal of experimental biology},
year = {2026},
month = may,
volume = {229},
number = {9},
pages = {jeb252487},
publisher = {The Company of Biologists},
issn = {0022-0949},
doi = {10.1242/
url = {https://
pmid = {42003322},
pmcid = {PMC13245900}
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
AU - Duchatelet, Laurent
AU - Flammang, Patrick
AU - Dupont, Sam
AU - Mallefet, Jérôme
TI - Antho-RFamide effect on light production in the bioluminescent sea pen Pennatula phosphorea (Octocorallia, Pennatulacea)
T2 - The Journal of experimental biology
J2 - J Exp Biol
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/
VL - 229
IS - 9
SP - jeb252487
SN - 0022-0949
PB - The Company of Biologists
DO - 10.1242/
UR - https://
LA - en
ER -
CSL-JSON
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"language": "en",
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