{
  "abstract": "Background: Recent studies have shown that symbiotic bacteria can have drastic effects on host neurobiology, but few simple, accessible models currently exist in which to study these interactions. Hawaiian bobtail squid ( Euprymna scolopes ) participate in a binary symbiosis with the bacterium Vibrio fischeri , a population of which resides in a specialized hindgut-derived organ called the light organ. Upon colonization by V. fischeri , the light organ undergoes transcriptional changes that suggest neurons are among the cell types impacted by the initiation of symbiosis, but the nascent light organ’s innervation has remained uncharacterized.\n\nResults: The light organ-associated nervous system (LONS) in hatchling E. scolopes is a remarkably complex segment of the peripheral nervous system. The LONS is largely plexiform and originates from two primary nerves connected by a local commissure. The abundance of synapsin-like immunoreactivity indicates that the lobe plexus is highly interconnected. We also highlight a small number of serotonin-like immunoreactive neurites innervating the anterior appendages that are poised to be directly impacted by symbiont-driven post-embryonic development. Finally, we present evidence that a limited but morphologically diverse population of neurons reside within the light organ and are often located near internal symbiont-interacting structures.\n\nConclusions: Our results show that the LONS is structurally and molecularly complex and exhibits traits characteristic of an immature nervous system, suggesting that it may undergo substantial post-embryonic refinement. This initial characterization of the LONS provides a foundation from which to investigate how beneficial bacterial symbionts affect host peripheral neurobiology in a tractable model system.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 3,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Alice Breaux Walker"
    },
    {
      "name": "Elizabeth Victoria Xiu Widun"
    },
    {
      "name": "Elizabeth Anne Chapman Heath-Heckman"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9spewfybz86pn.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1186/s12915-026-02735-z",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "9spewfybz86pn",
  "issns": [
    "1741-7007"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://link.springer.com/10.1186/s12915-026-02735-z",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "1105|Cephalopods and Marine Biology"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7214899228",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-09-30",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9spewfybz86pn.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:19:05Z",
      "native_id": "10.1186/s12915-026-02735-z",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://link.springer.com/10.1186/s12915-026-02735-z"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "openalex:1105|Cephalopods and Marine Biology",
      "subfield": "ecology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "The neuroanatomy of the Hawaiian bobtail squid juvenile bacterial light organ",
  "title_text": "The neuroanatomy of the Hawaiian bobtail squid juvenile bacterial light organ",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:19:05Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/9spewfybz86pn",
  "venue": "BMC Biology",
  "versions": []
}