Behavioral response of Caenorhabditis elegans to localized thermal stimuli

Presynaptic plasticity is known to modulate the strength of synaptic transmission. However, it remains unknown whether regulation in presynaptic neurons can evoke excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic responses. We report here that the Caenorhabditis elegans homologs of MAST kinase, Stomatin, and Diacylglycerol kinase act in a thermosensory neuron to elicit in its postsynaptic neuron an excitatory or inhibitory response that correlates with the valence of thermal stimuli. By monitoring neural activity of the valence-coding interneuron in freely behaving animals, we show that the alteration between excitatory and inhibitory responses of the interneuron is mediated by controlling the balance of two opposing signals released from the presynaptic neuron. These alternative transmissions further generate opposing behavioral outputs necessary for the navigation on thermal gradients. Our findings suggest that valence-encoding interneuronal activity is determined by a presynaptic mechanism whereby MAST kinase, Stomatin, and Diacylglycerol kinase influence presynaptic outputs.

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Thermal reception in the Mexican Lance-head rattlesnake, Crotalus polystictus

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26599v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Octavio I Martínez Vaca-León ◽

Javier Manjarrez

Keyword(s):

Behavioral Response ◽

Head Movements ◽

Head Orientation ◽

Thermal Thresholds ◽

Interspecific Differences ◽

Neurophysiological Mechanisms ◽

Thermal Detection ◽

Tongue Flicks ◽

Thermal Stimuli ◽

Stimulus Shape

The sensory systems of Boidae and Crotalinae snakes detect subtle differences of thermal infrared energy. The complexity of this ability involves neurophysiological mechanisms with interspecific differences in the anatomy of thermoreceptor organs and functionally in thermal detection ranges and thermal thresholds, with ecological correlations that influence the thermo-reception. However, little is known about the information these snakes obtain and use from infrared radiation. We analyzed the behavioral response of adult Mexican Lance-head Rattlesnakes (Crotalus polystictus) to static thermal stimuli, evaluating the influence of distance from the snake of the thermal stimuli, and its lizard-like or mouse-like shape. The results reveal that C. polystictus is able to detect static thermal stimuli located from 20 to 200 cm away. Head movements and tongue-flicks were the most frequently performed behaviors, which suggests they are behaviors that can facilitate the detection of subtle differences in temperature of static stimuli. In addition, we suggest that stimulus shape and temperature are important in the timing of head orientation and frequency of tongue-flicks. We discuss the possible methodological and sensory implications of this behavioral response in C. polystictus.

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Thermal reception in the Mexican Lance-head rattlesnake, Crotalus polystictus

10.7287/peerj.preprints.26599 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Octavio I Martínez Vaca-León ◽

Javier Manjarrez

Keyword(s):

Behavioral Response ◽

Head Movements ◽

Head Orientation ◽

Thermal Thresholds ◽

Interspecific Differences ◽

Neurophysiological Mechanisms ◽

Thermal Detection ◽

Tongue Flicks ◽

Thermal Stimuli ◽

Stimulus Shape

The sensory systems of Boidae and Crotalinae snakes detect subtle differences of thermal infrared energy. The complexity of this ability involves neurophysiological mechanisms with interspecific differences in the anatomy of thermoreceptor organs and functionally in thermal detection ranges and thermal thresholds, with ecological correlations that influence the thermo-reception. However, little is known about the information these snakes obtain and use from infrared radiation. We analyzed the behavioral response of adult Mexican Lance-head Rattlesnakes (Crotalus polystictus) to static thermal stimuli, evaluating the influence of distance from the snake of the thermal stimuli, and its lizard-like or mouse-like shape. The results reveal that C. polystictus is able to detect static thermal stimuli located from 20 to 200 cm away. Head movements and tongue-flicks were the most frequently performed behaviors, which suggests they are behaviors that can facilitate the detection of subtle differences in temperature of static stimuli. In addition, we suggest that stimulus shape and temperature are important in the timing of head orientation and frequency of tongue-flicks. We discuss the possible methodological and sensory implications of this behavioral response in C. polystictus.

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Behavioral response and cell morphology changes of Caenorhabditis elegans under high power millimeter wave irradiation

High Power Laser and Particle Beams ◽

10.3788/hplpb20102212.2949 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 22 (12) ◽

pp. 2949-2954

Author(s):

任长虹 Ren Changhong ◽

袁广江 Yuan Guangjiang ◽

高艳 Gao Yan ◽

吴永红 Wu Yonghong ◽

徐志伟 Xu Zhiwei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Millimeter Wave ◽

Cell Morphology ◽

High Power ◽

Behavioral Response ◽

Morphology Changes

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Differential behavioral response to thermal stimuli following unilateral or bilateral temporomandibular joint inflammation

Journal of Pain ◽

10.1016/j.jpain.2011.02.167 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. P41

Author(s):

P. Durham ◽

F. Garrrett ◽

J. Hawkins ◽

J. Hayden

Keyword(s):

Temporomandibular Joint ◽

Behavioral Response ◽

Joint Inflammation ◽

Thermal Stimuli ◽

Temporomandibular Joint Inflammation

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The signaling lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate regulates mechanical pain

10.1101/236778 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Rose Z. Hill ◽

Benjamin U. Hoffman ◽

Takeshi Morita ◽

Stephanie M. Campos ◽

Ellen A. Lumpkin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Behavioral Response ◽

Neuronal Excitability ◽

Mutant Mice ◽

Mechanical Stimuli ◽

Pain Thresholds ◽

Somatosensory Neurons ◽

Sphingosine 1 Phosphate ◽

S1p Receptor ◽

Mechanical Pain Thresholds ◽

Thermal Stimuli

AbstractSomatosensory neurons mediate responses to diverse mechanical stimuli, from innocuous touch to noxious pain. While recent studies have identified distinct populations of A mechanonociceptors (AMs) that are required for mechanical pain, the molecular underpinnings of mechanonociception remain unknown. Here, we show that the bioactive lipid sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) and S1P Receptor 3 (S1PR3) are critical regulators of acute mechanonociception. Genetic or pharmacological ablation of S1PR3, or blockade of S1P production, significantly impaired the behavioral response to noxious mechanical stimuli, with no effect on responses to innocuous touch or thermal stimuli. These effects are mediated by fast-conducting A mechanonociceptors, which displayed a significant decrease in mechanosensitivity in S1PR3 mutant mice. We show that S1PR3 signaling tunes mechanonociceptor excitability via modulation of KCNQ2/3 channels. Our findings define a new role for S1PR3 in regulating neuronal excitability and establish the importance of S1P/S1PR3 signaling in the setting of mechanical pain thresholds.

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Temporal processing and context dependency in Caenorhabditis elegans response to mechanosensation

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.36419 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Mochi Liu ◽

Anuj K Sharma ◽

Joshua W Shaevitz ◽

Andrew M Leifer

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Behavioral Response ◽

Brain Function ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

Context Dependency ◽

Time Varying ◽

Behavioral Context ◽

Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Temporal Properties ◽

Quantitative Understanding

A quantitative understanding of how sensory signals are transformed into motor outputs places useful constraints on brain function and helps to reveal the brain’s underlying computations. We investigate how the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans responds to time-varying mechanosensory signals using a high-throughput optogenetic assay and automated behavior quantification. We find that the behavioral response is tuned to temporal properties of mechanosensory signals, such as their integral and derivative, that extend over many seconds. Mechanosensory signals, even in the same neurons, can be tailored to elicit different behavioral responses. Moreover, we find that the animal’s response also depends on its behavioral context. Most dramatically, the animal ignores all tested mechanosensory stimuli during turns. Finally, we present a linear-nonlinear model that predicts the animal’s behavioral response to stimulus.

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SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling regulates alcohol response behaviors in Caenorhabditis elegans and is associated with alcohol dependence in humans

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1413451112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 112 (10) ◽

pp. 3032-3037 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Laura D. Mathies ◽

GinaMari G. Blackwell ◽

Makeda K. Austin ◽

Alexis C. Edwards ◽

Brien P. Riley ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽

Alcohol Dependence ◽

Chromatin Remodeling ◽

Behavioral Response ◽

Allelic Variation ◽

Epigenetic Modification ◽

Acute Response ◽

Alcohol Response ◽

Environmentally Sensitive ◽

Tolerance To Ethanol

Alcohol abuse is a widespread and serious problem. Understanding the factors that influence the likelihood of abuse is important for the development of effective therapies. There are both genetic and environmental influences on the development of abuse, but it has been difficult to identify specific liability factors, in part because of both the complex genetic architecture of liability and the influences of environmental stimuli on the expression of that genetic liability. Epigenetic modification of gene expression can underlie both genetic and environmentally sensitive variation in expression, and epigenetic regulation has been implicated in the progression to addiction. Here, we identify a role for the switching defective/sucrose nonfermenting (SWI/SNF) chromatin-remodeling complex in regulating the behavioral response to alcohol in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that SWI/SNF components are required in adults for the normal behavioral response to ethanol and that different SWI/SNF complexes regulate different aspects of the acute response to ethanol. We showed that the SWI/SNF subunits SWSN-9 and SWSN-7 are required in neurons and muscle for the development of acute functional tolerance to ethanol. Examination of the members of the SWI/SNF complex for association with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence in a human population identified allelic variation in a member of the SWI/SNF complex, suggesting that variation in the regulation of SWI/SNF targets may influence the propensity to develop abuse disorders. Together, these data strongly implicate the chromatin remodeling associated with SWI/SNF complex members in the behavioral responses to alcohol across phyla.

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