Procambarus clarkii

Procambarus clarkii have been used for decades as a model for studying synaptic plasticity, circuits, behaviour, and so forth; thus, these animals are an integral organism. Additionally, these animals have ecological significance, as some P clarkii are considered invasive species outside of Southwestern US. However, lack of sequence information for this species has inhibited research groups from progressing their studies. With the sequence known, researchers will be able to utilize widely used analytic techniques (Western blot, PCR, etc) to further their understanding of mechanisms involved with the various studied phenomenon in this preparation. For example, cellular and molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity are still not fully understood. With the sequence known, specific proteins and molecular players involved in plasticity can be elucidated. These can then be compared to other model organisms, such as Drosophilia and Mus musculus, to verify evolutionary similarities/differences. Molecular biology techniques, partnered with electrophysiology and histochemistry, will provide significant information with respect to short term synaptic plasticity. Although the number of current labs experimenting with crayfish is seemingly small, this is largely a result of lack of sequence information being available.