Interneuron Control of <i>C. elegans</i> Developmental Decision-making

Chai, Cynthia M.; Torkashvand, Mahdi; Seyedolmohadesin, Maedeh; Park, Heenam; Venkatachalam, Vivek; Sternberg, Paul W.

doi:10.1101/2021.11.07.467589

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 82 publications

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“…mating (56), feeding (38), sleep (57) and others (47). More specifically, in the context of dauer larvae, previous work has identified increased neuropeptide signaling as an important neuromodulatory event for promoting the dauer entry decision (58,59). Hence, adjusting the neural transcriptome at the level of diffusible signaling-molecules, i.e.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term imaging reveals behavioral plasticity during C. elegans dauer exit

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Junker

et al. 2022

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During their lifetime, animals must adapt their behavior to survive in changing environments. This ability requires the nervous system to adjust through dynamic expression of neurotransmitters and receptors but also through growth, spatial reorganization and connectivity while integrating external stimuli. For instance, despite having a fixed neuronal cell lineage, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans’ nervous system remains plastic throughout its development. Here, we focus on a specific example of nervous system plasticity, the C. elegans dauer exit decision. Under unfavorable conditions, larvae will enter the non-feeding and non-reproductive dauer stage and adapt their behavior to cope with a new environment. Upon improved conditions, this stress resistant developmental stage is actively reversed to resume reproductive development. However, how different environmental stimuli regulate the exit decision mechanism and thereby drive the larva’s behavioral change is unknown. To fill this gap, we developed a new open hardware method for long-term imaging (12h) of C. elegans larvae. We identified dauer-specific behavioral motifs and characterized the behavioral trajectory of dauer exit in different environments to identify key decision points. Combining long-term behavioral imaging with transcriptomics, we find that bacterial ingestion triggers a change in neuropeptide gene expression to establish post-dauer behavior. Taken together, we show how a developing nervous system can robustly integrate environmental changes, activate a developmental switch and adapt the organism’s behavior to a new environment.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term imaging reveals behavioral plasticity during C. elegans dauer exit

Preußer

Neuschulz

Junker

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Where is the mind within the brain? Transient selection of subnetworks by metabotropic receptors and G protein-gated ion channels

Nikolić

2023

Computational Biology and Chemistry

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Neuronal activity regulating the dauer entry decision inCaenorhabditis elegans

Prakash,

Seyedolmohadesin,

Zhang

et al. 2024

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The model nematodeCaenorhabditis eleganscan choose between two alternative developmental trajectories. Larvae can either become reproductive adults or, under conditions of crowding or low food availability, enter a long-term, stress-resistant diapause known as the dauer stage. Previous studies showed that chemical signals from a secreted larval pheromone promote the dauer trajectory, and that their influence can be antagonised by increased availability of microbial food. The decision is known to be under neuronal control, involving both sensory and interneurons. To make an accurate decision, larvae must collect and compare complex patterns of environmental input over around 25 hours of development. The full composition of this circuit and the algorithm for decision-making are unknown. Here, we used cell-specific chemical silencing to systematically perturb several sensory and interneurons to further elucidate circuit composition. Our results suggest a role for gas-sensing neurons in regulating dauer entry. In addition, we quantitatively characterized the neuronal responses to food and pheromone inputs by measuring calcium traces from ASI and AIA neurons. We found that calcium in ASI increases linearly in response to food, and similarly decreases in response to pheromone, revealing a cellular site of antagonism between these key chemical inputs. Notably, the ASI response persists well beyond removal of the food stimulus, thus encoding a memory of recent food exposure. In contrast, AIA reports instantaneous food availability, and is unaffected by pheromone. We discuss how these findings may inform our understanding of this long-term decision-making process.

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Interneuron Control of C. elegans Developmental Decision-making

Cited by 3 publications

References 82 publications

Long-term imaging reveals behavioral plasticity during C. elegans dauer exit

Long-term imaging reveals behavioral plasticity during C. elegans dauer exit

Where is the mind within the brain? Transient selection of subnetworks by metabotropic receptors and G protein-gated ion channels

Neuronal activity regulating the dauer entry decision inCaenorhabditis elegans

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