Hernandez-Lima Mirella A, Seo Brian, Urban Nicholas D, Truttmann Matthias C
Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA.
bioRxiv. 2024 Oct 9:2024.10.07.617097. doi: 10.1101/2024.10.07.617097.
The ability of the nervous system to initiate intricate goal-directed behaviors in response to environmental stimuli is essential for metazoan survival. In this study, we demonstrate that the nematode perceives and reacts to dead conspecifics. The exposure to corpses as well as corpse lysates activates sensory neurons AWB and ASH, triggering a glutamate- and acetylcholine-dependent signaling cascade that regulates both immediate (aversion) and long-term (survival) responses to the presence of a death signature. We identify increased adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and cysteine concentrations as chemical fingerprints for the presence of metazoan corpses and show that death cue sensing by AWB and ASH leads to physiological changes which promote reproduction at the expense of lifespan. Our findings illuminate a novel signaling paradigm that allows organisms to detect and interpret the environmental enrichment of intracellular metabolites as a death cue.
神经系统响应环境刺激启动复杂的目标导向行为的能力对于后生动物的生存至关重要。在本研究中，我们证明线虫能够感知死的同种个体并做出反应。暴露于尸体以及尸体裂解物会激活感觉神经元AWB和ASH，触发一个依赖谷氨酸和乙酰胆碱的信号级联反应，该反应调节对死亡信号存在的即时（厌恶）和长期（生存）反应。我们确定增加的单磷酸腺苷（AMP）和半胱氨酸浓度为后生动物尸体存在的化学特征，并表明AWB和ASH对死亡线索的感知会导致生理变化，这些变化以寿命为代价促进繁殖。我们的研究结果阐明了一种新的信号模式，使生物体能够检测和解释细胞内代谢物的环境富集作为死亡线索。
