Gender-specific social behaviors in C. elegans

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C. elegans worms sense and respond to the presence of other individuals in a gender-specific manner: males are attracted to hermaphrodites, but hermaphrodites avoid one another. The C. elegans equivalent of a female is a self-fertilizing hermaphrodite that can also mate with a male. Male-attraction and hermaphrodite-avoidance are elicited by factors released into the environment by hermaphrodites. Both sexes are exposed to the same social signals, and the nervous systems of males and hermaphrodites are highly similar, yet their responses are diametrical. The goal of this project is to understand how molecules and nerve cells (neurons) generate these gender-specific behaviors. C. elegans is an animal model well suited for studies of behavior because genetic techniques are well-developed, the nervous system is well-characterized (the number and type of neurons do not vary significantly from individual to individual), and their wiring-how they are connected into circuits-is known. This project will use genetic techniques to identify and characterize molecules important for gender-specific behaviors, and laser microsurgery to identify neurons important for gender-specific behaviors. One of the eventual goals of this project is to test these models for how neural activity generates behavior. The C. elegans nervous system is simple enough that it should be possible to reprogram behavior. For example, hermaphrodites could be made to express the key behavioral genes of males, making the hermaphrodites attracted to other hermaphrodites. The project will train undergraduate students in genetics and neurobiology, and give them a practical basis for understanding fundamental principles. Additionally, this research will allow a postdoctoral fellow to establish a new area of scientific investigation and train him to become and independent investigator. The results from these studies will be made available by publication in open-access journals and presented to the public by the PI through community and university presentations.