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Dr. Warren Gallen (U of Alberta) is characterizing the structure and function of the nervous system of the jellyfish Polyorchis penicillatus.
Currently this involves cloning and sequencing genes for voltage-gated potassium channels, characterizing their electrophysiological properties, and localizing them within the jellyfish using antibodies prepared against the channel proteins. Dr. Gallin is expanding this work by sequencing the genome of P. penicillatus to identify other functionally important proteins in the nervous system. |