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Serotonergic neuron ADF modulates avoidance behaviors by inhibiting sensory neurons in C. elegans

  • Neuroscience
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Abstract

Serotonin plays an essential role in both the invertebrate and vertebrate nervous systems. ADF, an amphid neuron with dual ciliated sensory endings, is considered to be the only serotonergic sensory neuron in the hermaphroditic Caenorhabditis elegans. This neuron is known to be involved in a range of behaviors including pharyngeal pumping, dauer formation, sensory transduction, and memory. However, whether ADF neuron is directly activated by environmental cues and how it processes these information remains unknown. In this study, we found that ADF neuron responds reliably to noxious stimuli such as repulsive odors, copper, sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS), and mechanical perturbation. This response is mediated by cell-autonomous and non-cell autonomous mechanisms. Furthermore, we show that ADF can modulate avoidance behaviors by inhibiting ASH, an amphid neuron with single ciliated ending. This work greatly furthers our understanding of 5-HT’s contributions to sensory information perception, processing, and the resulting behavioral responses.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Caenorhabditis Genetic Center for strains.

Funding

This work was supported by grants from Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Funds of China (LR14C090001, to L.J.K.), the National Foundation of Natural Science of China (31771113, 31271180, 31471023, to L.J.K.; 31800878, to W.J.Z), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (2017FZA7003, 2018FZA7004), the Major National Scientific Research Projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2013CB945603, to L.J.K.), and the National High-tech R&D Program of China (2015AA020512), and the Non-profit Central Research Institute Fund of Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2017PT31038, 2018PT31041).

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Author notes

  1. Jiajie Shao and Xiaoyan Zhang contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Neuroscience and Department of Neurosurgery of the First Affiliated Hospital, NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Department of Neurobiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 866 Yu Hang Tang Rd., Hangzhou, 310058, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China

    Jiajie Shao, Xiaoyan Zhang, Hankui Cheng, Xiaomin Yue, Wenjuan Zou & Lijun Kang

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  1. Jiajie Shao
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  2. Xiaoyan Zhang
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  3. Hankui Cheng
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  4. Xiaomin Yue
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Contributions

Jiajie Shao and Lijun Kang designed the experiments. Jiajie Shao, Xiaoyan Zhang, Hankui Cheng, Xiaomin Yue, and Wenjuan Zou conducted the experiments. Jiajie Shao, Wenjuan Zou, and Lijun Kang analyzed and interpreted the results. Jiajie Shao and Lijun Kang wrote the manuscript, and modification was provided by all the authors.

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Correspondence to Wenjuan Zou or Lijun Kang.

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Shao, J., Zhang, X., Cheng, H. et al. Serotonergic neuron ADF modulates avoidance behaviors by inhibiting sensory neurons in C. elegans. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 471, 357–363 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-018-2202-4

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