Team succeeds in culturing the pygmy zebra octopus

Date:
December 22, 2021
Source:
Marine Biological Laboratory
Summary:
Researchers report culturing methods for the pygmy zebra octopus,
an emerging laboratory research organism.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
For generations, scientists have relied on a handful of organisms to
study the fundamentals of biology. The usual suspects -- fruit flies, zebrafish, and mice, among others -- all have short lifespans, small
body size, can be bred through multiple generations in the laboratory,
and have been developed for genetic investigations. These research
organisms leave out a whole swath of biological diversity and scientists
have lacked access to a cultured octopus laboratory organism -- until
now. Introducing the pygmy zebra octopus (O.

chierchiae).


==========================================================================
In a new paper published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, researchers from the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) introduce
scientists to successful culturing methods for O. chierchiaethat were
developed at the MBL.

"The pygmy zebra octopus has certain biological features that make them attractive and more appropriate for laboratory research, compared to
other octopuses," says Bret Grasse, MBL's manager of Cephalopod Operations
and co- author on the paper.

Also known as the "lesser Pacific striped octopus," the pygmy zebra
octopus shares many useful similarities with other research organisms --
such as small adult body size -- but it also has unique features that distinguish it from other cephalopods (the group of animals that include octopus, squid, and cuttlefish).

"The majority of octopuses are 'live fast, die young.' They breed once
and then immediately start to senesce and age and then die relatively
quickly," says Anik Grearson, former MBL intern and co-lead author on
the paper. Unlike other octopus species, a female O. chierchiae lays
several clutches of 30-90 eggs over her reproductive period.

"We can mate them and know exactly when they'll lay their eggs. We
know exactly how long they'll incubate and we can raise offspring at
a relatively high survivorship rate compared to other octopuses," says
Grasse. Add that to its small size, sexual dimorphism, and predictable
breeding schedule and it's easy to see why O. chierchiae is an ideal
candidate for further exploration and research.

The MBL's Cephalopod Mariculture team successfully bred O. chierchiae
through multiple generations in 2019 -- a global first. Breeding multiple generations in the lab is known as "closing the life cycle" and it is
critical in biological research. It lets scientists study gene function
and mutational effects from one generation to the next.

Being able to successfully breed octopuses in a laboratory opens up
"novel science that hasn't been possible before," says Grasse.

Scientists at the MBL and around the world study cephalopods to learn
about everything from camouflage and limb dexterity to regeneration
and neurobiology.

The majority of U.S. scientists studying octopuses use the California
two-spot octopus (O. bimaculoides), which is local to the waters off
of California. But those octopuses have yet to be successfully bred in
the laboratory through multiple generations, so most scientists study wild-caught animals shipped to their labs from California.

Octopuses are also territorial, and each organism must be housed
individually.

An adult two-spot octopus is about the size of a softball, whereas an
adult pygmy zebra octopus is only the size of a table grape, making the smaller-size species ideal for space-conscious laboratories.

"We now have this octopus species that's really small and that
can be bred regularly," says Grearson. "The sky's the limit
for what people want to do." Video: https://youtu.be/SFr17qQ5ehE ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Marine_Biological_Laboratory. Original written by Emily Greenhalgh. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Anik G. Grearson, Alison Dugan, Taylor Sakmar, Dominic M. Sivitilli,
David H. Gire, Roy L. Caldwell, Cristopher M. Niell, Gu"l Do"len,
Z. Yan Wang, Bret Grasse. The Lesser Pacific Striped Octopus,
Octopus chierchiae: An Emerging Laboratory Model. Frontiers in
Marine Science, 2021; 8 DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.753483 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211222104952.htm

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