POWRE: Neurotransmitter Specification & Function in C. elegans

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Christine LiNSF 9973581Lay AbstractDr. Christine Li is interested in how nerve cells in one region of the nervous system communicate with nerve cells in a different region. Nerve cells use chemicals, called neurotransmitters, as their means of communication; one nerve cell secretes a neurotransmitter that is received by another nerve cell, causing the latter cell to respond in a specific manner. The regulation of neurotransmitters is finely modulated within the nervous system. Too little or too much of a neurotransmitter can have severe repercussions on the behavior of an animal, such as uncoordination or cognitive disorders. Dr. Li is examining the regulation of neurotransmitters in a simple model system, the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, where the simplicity of the nervous system and the ability to manipulate the animal genetically allows use of approaches not readily available in other systems, such as mammals. She is focusing on a certain class of neurotransmitters called neuropeptides, which are small proteins. Over 100 distinct neuropeptides are present in C. elegans; these peptides can be subgrouped into families based on their structural similarities. Dr. Li is studying a specific family of neuropeptides called FaRPs. About 50% of the nerve cells in C. elegans use FaRPs for communication between cells. The questions that the laboratory is addressing include determining the functions of different FaRPs, determining why only certain cells use FaRPs for communication, determining whether one FaRP can substitute functionally for another FaRP, and determining how a FaRP secreted from one nerve cell can cause a certain response in a second nerve cell. Insights into how neuropeptides function in C. elegans may give clues into how neuropeptides are used in higher animals, such as man.