Using Expression Profiles of Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons To Identify Genes That Mediate Synaptic Connectivity
Using Expression Profiles of Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons To Identify Genes That Mediate Synaptic Connectivity
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pcbi.1000120
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发表时间：
2008-07-01
影响因子：
4.3
通讯作者：
Segal, Eran
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Baruch, Leehod;Itzkovitz, Shalev;Segal, Eran
秀丽隐杆线虫神经元的突触连接在动物之间基本上是不变的。有人认为，这一特征源于在突触形成的最后阶段指导神经元的遗传编码的分子标记。识别这些标记并解开它们指导突触形成的逻辑是一个关键挑战。在这里，我们通过构建一个概率模型来解决这一任务，该模型试图解释线虫的神经元连接图作为其神经元表达模式的函数。通过只考虑已知通过化学或电子突触连接的神经元对，我们专注于突触形成的最后阶段，在这个阶段，神经元识别它们指定的伙伴。我们的结果表明，对于许多神经元来说，线虫的神经元表达图可以准确地预测相邻神经元的子集，这些神经元将被选为其突触后伙伴。值得注意的是，这些预测可以使用组合方式相互作用的少量特定基因的表达模式来实现。
Synaptic wiring of neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans is largely invariable between animals. It has been suggested that this feature stems from genetically encoded molecular markers that guide the neurons in the final stage of synaptic formation. Identifying these markers and unraveling the logic by which they direct synapse formation is a key challenge. Here, we address this task by constructing a probabilistic model that attempts to explain the neuronal connectivity diagram of C. elegans as a function of the expression patterns of its neurons. By only considering neuron pairs that are known to be connected by chemical or electrical synapses, we focus on the final stage of synapse formation, in which neurons identify their designated partners. Our results show that for many neurons the neuronal expression map of C. elegans can be used to accurately predict the subset of adjacent neurons that will be chosen as its postsynaptic partners. Notably, these predictions can be achieved using the expression patterns of only a small number of specific genes that interact in a combinatorial fashion.