ResearchGate

ORCiD

Dr. Christin Wittfoth

Zoological Institute and Museum
Cytology and Evolutionary Biology

Soldmannstr. 23
House 6.1
17489 Greifswald

Phone: +49 (0)3834 420 4065
Fax: +49 (0)3834 420 4067
c.wittfothgmxde

 

Life-long neurogenesis in adult crustaceans

Neurogenesis is the process that generates new neurons which occur during embryonic and larval development. Since 20 years, it is known that neurogenesis additionally takes place during adulthood in some decapod crustaceans. Since that time, representatives of mainly reptant decapods („ground-dwelling decapods“) were studied with focus on the mechanisms, how neurogenesis is realized during adulthood. Nevertheless, questions about the evolutionary aspects are remained unclear. For my research, I investigate different taxa of malacostracans by using a thymidine analog as marker of DNA synthesis to monitor cell proliferation and immunohistochemical stainings combined with confocal laser-scanning microscopy, as well as pulse-chase experiments. Therefore, I am able to study the distribution and morphological variation within the malacostracans at once. On the other hand, this might allow us to determine the function of neurogenesis in adult crustaceans by comparing the taxa that feature and lack life-long neurogenesis, respectively.

Publications

  • Wittfoth C, Harzsch S, Wolff C, Sombke A (2019) The “amphi”-brains of amphipods: new insights from the neuroanatomy of Parhyale hawaiensis (Dana, 1853). Frontiers in Zoology 16:30. Open Access
  • Wittfoth C, Harzsch S (2018) Adult neurogenesis in the central olfactory pathway of dendrobranchiate and caridean shrimps: new insights into the evolution of the deutocerebral proliferative system in reptant decapods; Developmental Neurobiology 78(8): 757-774.
  • Meth R, Wittfoth C,Harzsch S(2017)Brain architecture of the Pacific White Shrimp Penaeus vannamei  Boone, 1931 (Malacostraca, Dendrobranchiata): correspondence of brain structure and sensory input?; Cell and Tissue Research, 369 (2), p. 255-271, DOI 10.1007/s00441-017-2607-y.

Contributions to conferences

 

Talks

  • Wittfoth C, Harzsch S (2017) Das beste Gedächtnis hat bekanntlich die Nase - Lebenslang persistierende Neurogenese im zentralen olfaktorischen Pfad malakostraker Crustaceen; 18. Crustaceologen-Tagung, Berlin, Germany
  • Wittfoth C, Harzsch S (2016) There is much more than lobsters and crabs - Adult neurogenesis in the central olfactory pathway of shrimps and prawns; 109th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society (DZG), Kiel, Germany

  • Wittfoth C, Harzsch S (2015) Never change a running system? Lebenslange Neurogenese im zentralen olfaktorischen Pfad adulter Crustaceen; 8. Graduiertentreffen der DZG-Fachgruppe Morphologie, Jena, Germany

  • Wittfoth C, Harzsch S (2015) New neurons for old brains: Life-long neurogenesis of adult crustaceans; Institutssymposium des Zoologischen Instituts und Museums der Universität Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

Posters

  • Meth R, Wittfoth C, Harzsch S (2018) Ontogeny of the deutocerebral proliferative system in the crab Carcinus maenas: new insights into the evolution of adult neurogenesis in decapod crustaceans; 111th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society (DZG), Greifswald, Germany (Poster award of section "Developmental Biology")
  • Wittfoth C, Harzsch S (2017) A comparative analysis of adult neurogenesis in malacostracan crustaceans; 110th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society (DZG), Bielefeld, Germany
  • Wittfoth C, Sombke A, Wolff C (2017) The amphipod nervous system – insights from the brain of Parhyale hawaiensis; invitation-only workshop "Crustacean models in cross-disciplinary biological research", Janelia Research Campus, Ashburn, Virginia/USA
  • Meth R, Wittfoth C, Harzsch S (2016) Investigating the architecture of the brain in the Pacific White Shrimp Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931: evidence for corresponding brain structure and sensory input; 109th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society (DZG), Kiel, Germany (Poster award of section "Morphology")

  • Wittfoth C, Sombke A, Lipke E and Wolff C (2015) Investigating the neuroanatomy of Parhyale hawaiensis in a combined approach; 108th Annual Meeting of the German Zoological Society (DZG), Graz, Germany

  • Wittfoth C, Sombke A, Wiethase J, Lipke E and Wolff C (2015) The brain anatomy of Parhyale hawaiensis (Dana, 1874); 17. Crustaceologen-Tagung, Bremerhaven, Germany

Research trips

2017 Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Infrastructure, Kristineberg, Sweden
2016 Biologische Anstalt Helgoland, Alfred-Wegener-Institut (AWI), Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Germany