Hello to all:
I am starting my PhD in a lab whose focus is the hair cell of vertebrate ears. I am keen to explore the evolutionary origins of a particular amplificatory process in vertebrate hair cells.
To make a long story short, I am trying to obtain single-cell electrical and mechanical recordings of a putative mechanoreceptor cell type located on adult ascidian buccal tentacles (described in Burighel et al. 2003, The Journal of Comparative Neurology). I have done some pilot work with Molgula manhattensis and Styela clava, and I have found their mechanoreceptor cells to be too small for the recordings I wish to achieve. (The cells offer about 1-2 square microns of apical area, and are approximately 20 microns from apex to base.)
I am wondering if anyone might have an idea of an ascidian species which, as an adult, has particularly large cells. Do any generally-large-celled ascidians spring to mind? Thanks in advance if you have some time to consider this!
With gratitude,
Kate Leitch
Hudspeth Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience
The Rockefeller University
P.S. I am not sure if salps bear the cell type in which I'm interested, but if anyone knows of any generally-large-celled salps, I would like to hear of them as well.
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