Ji Zhijian, Wang Bingying, Chandra Rashmi, Liu Junqiang, Yang Supeng, Long Yong, Egan Michael, L'Etoile Noelle, Ma Dengke K
Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
bioRxiv. 2025 Jan 28:2025.01.27.634647. doi: 10.1101/2025.01.27.634647.
Visible light influences a range of physiological processes, yet how animals respond to it independently of the visual system remains largely unknown. Here, we uncover a previously undescribed light-induced transcriptional pathway that modulates behavioral plasticity in , a roundworm without eyes. We demonstrate that ambient visible light or controlled-intensity visible-spectrum LED activates an effector gene in non-neuronal tissues through the bZIP transcription factors ZIP-2 and CEBP-2. Light induction of is more prominent at shorter wavelengths but is independent of the known blue light receptors LITE-1 and GUR-3 in . This bZIP-dependent genetic pathway in non-neuronal tissues enhances behavioral adaptability and olfactory memory, suggesting a body-brain communication axis. Furthermore, we use the light-responsive promoter to drive ectopic gene expression, causing synthetic light-induced sleep and rapid aging phenotypes in . These findings advance our understanding of light-responsive mechanisms outside the visual system and offer a new genetic tool for visible light-inducible gene expression in non-neuronal tissues.
可见光会影响一系列生理过程，然而动物如何独立于视觉系统对其做出反应在很大程度上仍不为人知。在此，我们发现了一条先前未被描述的光诱导转录途径，该途径调节一种无眼线虫的行为可塑性。我们证明，环境可见光或可控强度的可见光谱发光二极管通过bZIP转录因子ZIP-2和CEBP-2激活非神经组织中的一个效应基因。该基因在较短波长下的光诱导更为显著，但独立于线虫中已知的蓝光受体LITE-1和GUR-3。非神经组织中这条依赖bZIP的遗传途径增强了行为适应性和嗅觉记忆，提示了一条体-脑通讯轴。此外，我们利用光响应性启动子驱动异位基因表达，在线虫中导致合成的光诱导睡眠和快速衰老表型。这些发现推进了我们对视觉系统之外光响应机制的理解，并为非神经组织中可见光诱导的基因表达提供了一种新的遗传工具。
