A Feeding-Related Mechanoreceptor Identified in the Crab Cancer borealis Shares Similarities and Differences with Homologs in Other Crustaceans.

AbstractSensory feedback plays an essential role in shaping rhythmic animal movements. In the crustacean stomatogastric nervous system, which is responsible for grinding and filtering food particles in the animal's foregut, a number of mechanoreceptors whose activity affects motor output have been characterized. The hepatopancreas duct receptor neurons, which are located in the pyloric region of the foregut that is responsible for filtering, are among the less well understood groups of stomatogastric mechanoreceptors. Although they were first described decades ago in a number of decapod species, many questions remain about their role in shaping the movements produced by the stomatogastric nervous system. Here we provide the first anatomical and physiological evidence that there are also hepatopancreas duct receptors in the crab Cancer borealis, and we demonstrate that hepatopancreas duct receptor spiking produced by mechanical stimulation modifies the properties of an ongoing pyloric motor program.