Abstract
The marine mollusc, Pleurobranchaea californica varies daily in whether it swims and this correlates with whether serotonin (5-HT) enhances the strength of synapses made by the swim central pattern generator neuron, A1/C2. Another species, Tritonia diomedea, reliably swims and does not vary in serotonergic neuromodulation. A third species, Hermissenda crassicornis, never produces this behaviour and lacks the neuromodulation. We found that expression of particular 5-HT receptor subtype (5-HTR) genes in single neurons correlates with swimming. Orthologues to seven 5-HTR genes were identified from whole-brain transcriptomes. We isolated individual A1/C2 neurons and sequenced their RNA or measured 5-HTR gene expression using absolute quantitative PCR. A1/C2 neurons isolated from Pleurobranchaea that produced a swim motor pattern just prior to isolation expressed 5-HT2a and 5-HT7 receptor genes, as did all Tritonia samples. These subtypes were absent from A1/C2 isolated from Pleurobranchaea that did not swim on that day and from Hermissenda A1/C2 neurons. Expression of other receptors was not correlated with swimming. This suggests that these 5-HTRs may mediate the modulation of A1/C2 synaptic strength and play an important role in swimming. Furthermore, it suggests that regulation of receptor expression could underlie daily changes in behaviour as well as evolution of behaviour.