Department of Biology, MS008, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
Department of Biology, MS008, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA.
Curr Biol. 2023 Apr 24;33(8):1487-1501.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.073. Epub 2023 Mar 27.
Neurons modify their transcriptomes in response to an animal's experience. How specific experiences are transduced to modulate gene expression and precisely tune neuronal functions are not fully defined. Here, we describe the molecular profile of a thermosensory neuron pair in C. elegans experiencing different temperature stimuli. We find that distinct salient features of the temperature stimulus, including its duration, magnitude of change, and absolute value, are encoded in the gene expression program in this single neuron type, and we identify a novel transmembrane protein and a transcription factor whose specific transcriptional dynamics are essential to drive neuronal, behavioral, and developmental plasticity. Expression changes are driven by broadly expressed activity-dependent transcription factors and corresponding cis-regulatory elements that nevertheless direct neuron- and stimulus-specific gene expression programs. Our results indicate that coupling of defined stimulus characteristics to the gene regulatory logic in individual specialized neuron types can customize neuronal properties to drive precise behavioral adaptation.
神经元会根据动物的经验改变其转录组。特定的经验如何被转化为调节基因表达并精确调整神经元功能还没有完全定义。在这里，我们描述了 C. elegans 中一对感受温度的神经元在经历不同温度刺激时的分子特征。我们发现，温度刺激的不同显著特征，包括其持续时间、变化幅度和绝对值，都被编码在这种单一神经元类型的基因表达程序中，我们还鉴定了一种新型的跨膜蛋白和一种转录因子，它们的特定转录动力学对于驱动神经元、行为和发育可塑性是必不可少的。表达变化是由广泛表达的活性依赖性转录因子和相应的顺式调控元件驱动的，但它们仍然可以指导神经元和刺激特异性的基因表达程序。我们的结果表明，将特定的刺激特征与单个特化神经元类型的基因调控逻辑相耦合，可以定制神经元特性以驱动精确的行为适应。
