Discovery of a neuropeptide that acts as an autotomy-promoting factor

One of the most remarkable adaptations to survive attacks from predators is to detach an appendage-a process known as autotomy. This occurs in a variety of animals, including lizards (tail), crabs (legs), and starfish (arms). There has been extensive investigation of the evolution, ecology, and biomechanical impact of autotomy,1,2,3 but little is known about neural mechanisms controlling autotomy in animals. However, evidence for the existence of a peptide that acts as an autotomy-promoting factor in starfish has been reported.4 While investigating in vivo effects of a sulfakinin/cholecystokinin-type neuropeptide (ArSK/CCK1) in the starfish Asterias rubens,5,6 we observed that this peptide triggered arm autotomy in some animals. Furthermore, when injection of ArSK/CCK1 was combined with mechanical clamping of an arm, autotomy of the clamped arm occurred in 85% of animals tested, with 46% also autotomizing one or more other arms. In contrast, no autotomy was observed in clamped animals that were injected with water (control). To examine the physiological relevance of these findings, we analyzed expression of ArSK/CCK1 in the autotomy plane, a specialized region at the base of the arms in A. rubens.7,8 In accordance with its in vivo effects, nerve fibers expressing ArSK/CCK1 were revealed in the tourniquet muscle, a band of muscle that mediates constriction of the arm during and after autotomy. We conclude that ArSK/CCK1 acts as an autotomy-promoting factor in starfish and as such it is the first neuropeptide to be identified as a regulator of autotomy in animals.