Neurobiology Research Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.
Information Processing Biology Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, 904-0495, Japan.
Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 5;9(1):3430. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-40158-9.
Active propagation of electrical signals in C. elegans neurons requires ion channels capable of regenerating membrane potentials. Here we report regenerative depolarization of a major gustatory sensory neuron, ASEL. Whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in vivo showed supralinear depolarization of ASEL upon current injection. Furthermore, stimulation of animal's nose with NaCl evoked all-or-none membrane depolarization in ASEL. Mutant analysis showed that EGL-19, the α1 subunit of L-type voltage-gated Ca channels, is essential for regenerative depolarization of ASEL. ASEL-specific knock-down of EGL-19 by RNAi demonstrated that EGL-19 functions in C. elegans chemotaxis along an NaCl gradient. These results demonstrate that a natural substance induces regenerative all-or-none electrical signals in dendrites, and that these signals are essential for activation of sensory neurons for chemotaxis. As in other vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems, active information processing in dendrites occurs in C. elegans, and is necessary for adaptive behavior.
在秀丽隐杆线虫神经元中，电信号的主动传播需要能够再生膜电位的离子通道。在这里，我们报告了主要味觉感觉神经元 ASEL 的再生去极化。体内全细胞膜片钳记录显示，电流注入时 ASEL 会发生超线性去极化。此外，用 NaCl 刺激动物的鼻子会引起 ASEL 的全或无膜去极化。突变分析表明，L 型电压门控 Ca 通道的 α1 亚基 EGL-19 对于 ASEL 的再生去极化是必需的。通过 RNAi 进行的 ASEL 特异性 EGL-19 敲低表明，EGL-19 在 C. elegans 沿 NaCl 梯度的化学趋性中发挥作用。这些结果表明，一种天然物质在树突中诱导再生的全或无电信号，这些信号对于感觉神经元的激活和化学趋性是必需的。与其他脊椎动物和无脊椎动物神经系统一样，C. elegans 中的主动信息处理发生在树突中，这对于适应性行为是必要的。
