Octopi Respond to Environment Through RNA Editing

To start off with, the most commonly accepted plural form of the word "octopus" turns out to be "octopuses". "Octopi" and "octopedes" have also been used as plural forms, but they are more objectionable. In my blog, I will be referring to more than one octopus as octopi simply because I think it sounds better, no matter how objectionable the term may be. And also because I can.



Genetic mutations are responsible for the existence of complex creatures. The complexity of creatures can also be attributed to RNA editing, in which enzymes are altered without impacting organisms' genetic blueprints. RNA editing has allowed organisms to regulate essential functions, including the development and function of nervous systems. Octopi have provided evidence suggesting that this type of editing has allowed them to adjust to external, environmental changes in addition to internal changes. Researchers have investigated how this editing has allowed octopi to live in warm and cold bodies of water. These editing tools have helped them acclimate to different environments.


Cephalopods have been seen doing much RNA editing. Different processes can be fine-tuned in different organisms with the same genetic makeup. Since octopi are cold-blooded, temperature differences can have an impact on neural pathways. Nervous system communication is dependent on neural firings. These firings are started by sodium-ion channels and stopped by potassium-ion channels. Both of these channels slow down in cold temperatures, with the potassium-ion channels slowing significantly more than sodium-ion channels. RNA editing plays a role here, as one Antarctic octopus's editing locations allowed for an increase in the rate of the potassium channel closing. This allowed for the channels to become closer in rate. Other species of octopi, such as those living in Arctic and tropical waters, have also displayed RNA editing.


There is more than one response to the environment that requires RNA editing, and it certainly does not stop with temperature regulation. Scientists have discovered about 100 editing sites in just eight mRNAs. They are also editing the RNA that edits, allowing for greater diversity in enzymes that edit.


Click here to access the article from which I retrieved my information.