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Octopuses Can Redesign Their Brains When They Get Cold

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Octopuses are fascinating creatures, possessing a high level of intelligence, coupled with an intriguing physiological oddity – more than half of their neurons sprawl across their eight arms instead of being centralized in the brain. In an exciting discovery reported in the journal Cell, researchers found that these marine marvels can ‘recode’ their neurons in response to temperature changes, akin to us adjusting our clothing based on the weather.

The process, known as RNA editing, involves the adaptation of RNA – the genetic molecule that carries DNA’s blueprint to protein production. This helps octopuses to adjust to climatic shifts, a trait they exploit to an “extraordinary extent,” according to co-senior author Joshua Rosenthal, a biologist at the Marine Biological Laboratory.

In humans, RNA editing affects protein production in less than 3% of genes. In stark contrast, Rosenthal and his colleagues found that advanced cephalopods (all except nautiluses) can recode the majority of neural proteins.

How does this work? Well, RNA editing is triggered when an external factor activates certain enzymes, which then chemically alter the RNA. The altered RNA leads to the production of different protein forms. As RNA is a temporary molecule, these changes aren’t permanent, allowing for quick adaptation to environmental changes.

To observe this in action, the scientists acclimated wild California two-spot octopuses (Octopus bimaculoides) to tanks with varying temperatures. The researchers discovered that about one-third of the 60,000 sites in the octopuses’ genomes where enzymes edit RNA had changed due to temperature shifts. Interestingly, most of these changes were cold-induced and involved the production of specific proteins related to cell membranes, synapses, programmed cell death, and calcium binding within neurons.

Unlike humans and other mammals, octopuses can’t regulate their own body temperature, which could make RNA editing a vital mechanism to protect their neurons from temperature fluctuations. “The organism chooses to express different isoforms, and each one is better in its own condition,” says co-senior author Eli Eisenberg.

It’s not every day that we find an organism capable of fundamentally altering its own physiology in response to environmental changes. This research highlights the staggering adaptability of octopuses, which use RNA editing to potentially safeguard their brains against temperature changes.

As we marvel at the capabilities of these eight-armed brainiacs, let’s take a moment to consider the broader implications for our understanding of biological adaptation.

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