Wu Zan, Pang Lin, Ding Mei
State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
College of Life Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Development. 2025 Jan 1;152(1). doi: 10.1242/dev.202955. Epub 2025 Jan 7.
Electrical coupling is vital to neural communication, facilitating synchronized activity among neurons. Despite its significance, the precise mechanisms governing the establishment of gap junction connections between specific neurons remain elusive. Here, we identified that the PVC interneuron in Caenorhabditis elegans forms gap junction connections with the PVR interneuron. The transcriptional regulator CFI-1 (ARID3) is specifically expressed in the PVC but not PVR interneuron. Reducing cfi-1 expression in the PVC interneuron leads to enhanced gap junction formation in the PVR neuron, while ectopic expression of cfi-1 in the PVR neuron restores the proper level of gap junction connections in the PVC neuron, along with the normal touch response. These findings unveil the pivotal role of CFI-1 in bidirectionally regulating the formation of gap junctions within a specific neuronal pair, shedding light on the intricate molecular mechanisms governing neuronal connectivity in vivo.
电耦合对于神经通讯至关重要,它促进了神经元之间的同步活动。尽管其意义重大,但控制特定神经元之间间隙连接建立的确切机制仍不清楚。在这里,我们发现秀丽隐杆线虫中的PVC中间神经元与PVR中间神经元形成间隙连接。转录调节因子CFI-1(ARID3)在PVC中间神经元中特异性表达,而在PVR中间神经元中不表达。降低PVC中间神经元中cfi-1的表达会导致PVR神经元中间隙连接形成增强,而在PVR神经元中异位表达cfi-1会恢复PVC神经元中间隙连接的适当水平以及正常的触觉反应。这些发现揭示了CFI-1在双向调节特定神经元对中间隙连接形成中的关键作用,为体内控制神经元连接的复杂分子机制提供了线索。