Neuroendocrine modulation sustains the <i>C. elegans</i> forward motor state.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 27855782.
- Also identified by DOI 10.7554/eLife.19887 and PMC identifier 5120884.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Neuromodulators shape neural circuit dynamics. Combining electron microscopy, genetics, transcriptome profiling, calcium imaging, and optogenetics, we discovered a peptidergic neuron that modulates <i>C. elegans</i> motor circuit dynamics. The Six/SO-family homeobox transcription factor UNC-39 governs lineage-specific neurogenesis to give rise to a neuron RID. RID bears the anatomic hallmarks of a specialized endocrine neuron: it harbors near-exclusive dense core vesicles that cluster periodically along the axon, and expresses multiple neuropeptides, including the FMRF-amide-related FLP-14. RID activity increases during forward movement. Ablating RID reduces the sustainability of forward movement, a phenotype partially recapitulated by removing FLP-14. Optogenetic depolarization of RID prolongs forward movement, an effect reduced in the absence of FLP-14. Together, these results establish the role of a neuroendocrine cell RID in sustaining a specific behavioral state in <i>C. elegans</i>.
Medical subject headings
- Caenorhabditis elegans
- Neural Pathways
- Neurons
- Neuropeptides
- Neurosecretory Systems
- Neurotransmitter Agents