Identification of neuropeptides in the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci

The Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) Acanthaster planci feeds on hard corals and its outbreaks are a major cause of destruction of coral communities on the Australian Great Barrier Reef. Whilst population booms and the social behaviour of COTS have been well studied, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying COTS metabolism and behaviour. One of the major classes of chemical messengers that regulate metabolic and behavioural processes in animals are neuropeptides. Here, we have analysed COTS genome and transcriptome sequence data to identify neuropeptide precursor proteins in this species. Mass spectrometry was employed to identify neuropeptides extracted from radial nerve cords. Forty-nine neuropeptide precursors were identified, including homologs of neuropeptide signaling systems that are evolutionarily conserved throughout the Bilateria.