BIOMAT Database Logo BIOMAT Database Logo

The neural circuits and sensory channels mediating harsh touch sensation in Caenorhabditis elegans. 2011

Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.

Most animals can distinguish two distinct types of touch stimuli: gentle (innocuous) and harsh (noxious/painful) touch, however, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Caenorhabditis elegans is a useful model for the study of gentle touch sensation. However, little is known about harsh touch sensation in this organism. Here we characterize harsh touch sensation in C. elegans. We show that C. elegans exhibits differential behavioural responses to harsh touch and gentle touch. Laser ablations identify distinct sets of sensory neurons and interneurons required for harsh touch sensation at different body segments. Optogenetic stimulation of the circuitry can drive behaviour. Patch-clamp recordings reveal that TRP family and amiloride-sensitive Na(+) channels mediate touch-evoked currents in different sensory neurons. Our work identifies the neural circuits and characterizes the sensory channels mediating harsh touch sensation in C. elegans, establishing it as a genetic model for studying this sensory modality.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007395 Interneurons Most generally any NEURONS which are not motor or sensory. Interneurons may also refer to neurons whose AXONS remain within a particular brain region in contrast to projection neurons, which have axons projecting to other brain regions. Intercalated Neurons,Intercalated Neuron,Interneuron,Neuron, Intercalated,Neurons, Intercalated
D011984 Sensory Receptor Cells Specialized afferent neurons capable of transducing sensory stimuli into NERVE IMPULSES to be transmitted to the CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. Sometimes sensory receptors for external stimuli are called exteroceptors; for internal stimuli are called interoceptors and proprioceptors. Nerve Endings, Sensory,Neurons, Sensory,Neuroreceptors,Receptors, Neural,Neural Receptors,Receptors, Sensory,Sensory Neurons,Sensory Receptors,Nerve Ending, Sensory,Neural Receptor,Neuron, Sensory,Neuroreceptor,Receptor Cell, Sensory,Receptor Cells, Sensory,Receptor, Neural,Receptor, Sensory,Sensory Nerve Ending,Sensory Nerve Endings,Sensory Neuron,Sensory Receptor,Sensory Receptor Cell
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D014110 Touch Sensation of making physical contact with objects, animate or inanimate. Tactile stimuli are detected by MECHANORECEPTORS in the skin and mucous membranes. Tactile Sense,Sense of Touch,Taction,Sense, Tactile,Senses, Tactile,Tactile Senses,Tactions,Touch Sense,Touch Senses
D015222 Sodium Channels Ion channels that specifically allow the passage of SODIUM ions. A variety of specific sodium channel subtypes are involved in serving specialized functions such as neuronal signaling, CARDIAC MUSCLE contraction, and KIDNEY function. Ion Channels, Sodium,Ion Channel, Sodium,Sodium Channel,Sodium Ion Channels,Channel, Sodium,Channel, Sodium Ion,Channels, Sodium,Channels, Sodium Ion,Sodium Ion Channel
D017173 Caenorhabditis elegans A species of nematode that is widely used in biological, biochemical, and genetic studies. Caenorhabditis elegan,elegan, Caenorhabditis
D050051 Transient Receptor Potential Channels A broad group of eukaryotic six-transmembrane cation channels that are classified by sequence homology because their functional involvement with SENSATION is varied. They have only weak voltage sensitivity and ion selectivity. They are named after a DROSOPHILA mutant that displayed transient receptor potentials in response to light. A 25-amino-acid motif containing a TRP box (EWKFAR) just C-terminal to S6 is found in TRPC, TRPV and TRPM subgroups. ANKYRIN REPEATS are found in TRPC, TRPV & TRPN subgroups. Some are functionally associated with TYROSINE KINASE or TYPE C PHOSPHOLIPASES. TRP Cation Channel,Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channel,Transient Receptor Potential Channel,TRP Cation Channels,TRP Membrane Proteins,Transient Receptor Potential Cation Channels,Cation Channel, TRP,Cation Channels, TRP,Channel, TRP Cation,Channels, TRP Cation,Membrane Proteins, TRP,Proteins, TRP Membrane
D029742 Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins Proteins from the nematode species CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS. The proteins from this species are the subject of scientific interest in the area of multicellular organism MORPHOGENESIS. C elegans Proteins

Related Publications

Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Touch sensation in Caenorhabditis elegans.
March 1996, BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Sensory processing by neural circuits in Caenorhabditis elegans.
August 2004, Current opinion in neurobiology,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
The neural circuit for touch sensitivity in Caenorhabditis elegans.
April 1985, The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Neural Circuits of Sexual Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans.
July 2018, Annual review of neuroscience,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Optical interrogation of neural circuits in Caenorhabditis elegans.
December 2009, Nature methods,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Neural circuits mediate electrosensory behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans.
July 2007, The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Sexual modulation of neural circuits and behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans.
September 2014, Seminars in cell & developmental biology,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Illuminating neural circuits and behaviour in Caenorhabditis elegans with optogenetics.
September 2015, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
The Caenorhabditis elegans tmc-1 is involved in egg-laying inhibition in response to harsh touch.
January 2021, microPublication biology,
Wei Li, and Lijun Kang, and Beverly J Piggott, and Zhaoyang Feng, and X Z Shawn Xu
Japanese studies on neural circuits and behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans.
November 2013, Frontiers in neural circuits,
Copied contents to your clipboard!