Calcineurin and Protein kinase G regulate C. elegans behavioral quiescence during locomotion in liquid
Calcineurin and Protein kinase G regulate C. elegans behavioral quiescence during locomotion in liquid
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DOI：
10.1186/1471-2156-11-7
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发表时间：
2010-01-27
期刊：
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Emmons, Scott W.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ghosh, Rajarshi;Emmons, Scott W.
背景：自然界中大多数节律性运动行为是偶发性的，即它们在不同的行为状态之间交替，包括静止。对无脊椎动物行为转换、维持和静止的电生理研究已经阐明了几种产生行为时间模式的神经元机制。然而，这些过程的遗传基础研究较少。我们之前发现了秀丽隐杆线虫在液体介质中表现出的一种新的情景行为，它们在有节奏的游泳和静止的不同阶段之间交替。在这里，我们研究了几个基因及其作用位点对线虫在液体中表现出的行为静止的影响。结果：我们之前报道过高胆碱能信号促进静息，命令中间神经元对静息持续时间的选择至关重要。我们发现，除了命令中间神经元，感觉神经元对静止也很重要。我们发现蛋白磷酸酶钙调磷酸酶同源物tax-6促进游泳，而蛋白激酶G同源物egg -4促进静止。感觉神经元中Tax-6的表达足以解释其作用。Egl-4也作用于多个感觉神经元，介导其对静止的影响。此外，我们的数据与egl-4在运动神经元释放乙酰胆碱（ACh）的下游功能上对静止的调节一致。结论：我们的研究为通过激酶和磷酸酶的活动在多个神经元水平上维持行为状态的机制提供了遗传证据。这些结果在一个遗传易处理的生物体建立了一个框架，进一步剖析在间歇行为的沉默机制。
Background: Most rhythmic motor behaviors in nature are episodic i.e. they alternate between different behavioral states, including quiescence. Electrophysiological studies in invertebrate behavioral switching, maintenance and quiescence have elucidated several neuronal mechanisms that generate a temporal pattern in behavior. However, the genetic bases of these processes are less well studied. We have previously uncovered a novel episodic behavior exhibited by C. elegans in liquid media where they alternate between distinct phases of rhythmic swimming and quiescence. Here, we have investigated the effect of several genes and their site of action on the behavioral quiescence exhibited in liquid by the nematode C. elegans.Results: We have previously reported that high cholinergic signaling promotes quiescence and command interneurons are critical for timing the quiescence bout durations. We have found that in addition to command interneurons, sensory neurons are also critical for quiescence. We show that the protein phosphatase calcineurin homolog tax-6 promotes swimming whereas the protein kinase G homolog egl-4 promotes quiescence. tax-6 expression in the sensory neurons is sufficient to account for its effect. egl-4 also acts in multiple sensory neurons to mediate its effect on quiescence. In addition our data is consistent with regulation of quiescence by egl-4 acting functionally downstream of release of acetylcholine (ACh) by motor neurons.Conclusions: Our study provides genetic evidence for mechanisms underlying the maintenance of a behavioral state operating at multiple neuronal levels through the activities of a kinase and a phosphatase. These results in a genetically tractable organism establish a framework for further dissection of the mechanism of quiescence during episodic behaviors.