New research by Joshua Rosenthal and Eli Eisenberg identified that octopuses and other cephalopods adjust to environmental differences like temperatures by editing their RNA. Previous research has found that cells have the capacity to swap one member of the four letter genetic code, Adenosine, for a substitute molecule, Inosine. This protein altering is called A-to-I and it was found in octopuses. Researchers used the California two-spot octopus and acclimated them to their natural range of temperatures in the cold and warmer tanks. When examining their RNA they found increases at 13,285 sites in the cold tanks where the one letter change alters the protein. In the warmer tanks they found 550 sites. With the help of other collaborators at the University of Michigan and Texas Tech University, they were able to identify proteins that were altered when the processes of RNA editing occurred. One of the proteins was kinesin-1, which changes the rate at which this molecule travels. This then alters the responsiveness of a protein called synaptotagmin that allows for communication between neurons.
Cephalopods are very interesting organisms. I think that this research is very intriguing. I wonder if the rate that these RNA and Protein changes can be linked to rising sea surface temperatures caused by climate change.
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