Neuronal and genetic basis of photosensory behavior in C. elegans

线虫光感觉行为的神经元和遗传基础

• 批准号: 8270047
• 负责人: Shawn Xu
• 金额: $ 38.88万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2012-04-01 至 2015-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/8270047
• 关键词: Afferent Neurons; Affinity; American Society of Hematology; Animal Model; Animals; Behavior; Behavioral Genetics; Biochemical; Biochemistry; Caenorhabditis elegans; Circadian Rhythms; Cues; Cyclic GMP; Darkness; Data; Disease; Dose; Drosophila genus; Electrophysiology (science); Environment; Eye; Eye diseases; GTP-Binding Proteins; Genetic; Genetic Models; Goals; Head; Homologous Gene; Image; Larva; Lead; Life; Light; Magnetism; Mammals; Mediating; Modality; Nematoda; Neurons; Organism; Pharmacology; Photoreceptors; Photosensitivity; Phototransduction; Proprioception; Proteins; Pupil; Recombinants; Reporting; Research; Retina; Second Messenger Systems; Sensory; Series; Signal Transduction; Sleep Disorders; Smell Perception; Soil; TRP channel; Tail; Taste Perception; Testing; Touch sensation; Transgenic Organisms; Transmembrane Domain; Up-Regulation; Ursidae Family; Vertebrate Photoreceptors; Vision; Work; base; constriction; human disease; in vivo; insight; interdisciplinary approach; novel; patch clamp; retinal rods; second messenger; sensor

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The long term goal of our research is to understand how animals sense and react to environmental cues. The current proposal focuses on the sense of light, a sensory modality critical for animal life. Light is detected by photoreceptor cells in he retina where they mediate image-forming vision. In addition, photoreceptor cells, particularly those extra-ocular photoreceptor cells, mediate non-image-forming functions such as phototaxis, circadian rhythms, pupil constriction, and magnetic orientation. While the image-forming vision has been extensively characterized, relatively little is known about the mechanisms of the non-image-forming functions of photoreceptor cells. The nematode C. elegans is a popular genetic model organism for the study of sensory transduction such as chemosensation (e.g. olfaction and taste) and mechanosensation (e.g. touch sensation and proprioception). However, C. elegans were believed to lack the sense of light, as they live in darkness (soil) and also do not have eyes. Interestingly, we have recently demonstrated that these eyeless animals, surprisingly, possess the sense of light and engage in photosensory behavior (phototaxis) that allows them to avoid lethal doses of light and also provides a potential mechanism for retaining them in dark environments. Intriguingly, a similar phenomenon also exists in other organisms, such as Drosophila larva, which requires extra-ocular photoreceptor cells. Here we propose to elucidate the mechanisms underlying photosensation in C. elegans. We will identify all the photoreceptor cells required for phototaxis, determine the signaling mechanisms in photoreceptor cells, and identify the photoreceptor protein. We will take a multidisciplinary approach combining genetics, behavioral analysis, pharmacology, biochemistry, and electrophysiology. The proposed study will provide novel insights into the mechanisms of the non-image-forming functions of photoreceptor cells in mammals. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Abnormalities in photosensation lead to a variety of human diseases, including eye diseases and sleep disorders. The proposed studies will facilitate our understanding of photosensation and related diseases.

描述（由申请人提供）：我们研究的长期目标是了解动物对环境提示的感觉和反应。当前的提议着重于光感，一种对动物生活至关重要的感官方式。 HE视网膜中的感光细胞检测到光，在那里它们介导形成图像的视觉。此外，光感受器细胞，尤其是那些眼外光感受器细胞，介导非图像形成功能，例如光Xt骨，昼夜节律，学生收缩和磁取向。尽管图像形成视觉已得到广泛的表征，但对光感受器细胞的非图像形成函数的机制知之甚少。线虫秀丽隐杆线虫是一种流行的遗传模型生物体，用于研究感觉转导（例如嗅觉和味觉）和机械敏度（例如触摸感觉和前置感受）等感觉转导的生物。但是，秀丽隐杆线虫被认为缺乏光照感，因为它们生活在黑暗（土壤）中，而且没有眼睛。有趣的是，我们最近证明，这些无眼动物具有光感感并具有光感行为（光触及），使它们避免了致命的光剂量，还提供了潜力 将它们保留在黑暗环境中的机制。有趣的是，其他生物体（例如果蝇幼虫）也存在类似的现象，该生物需要英格的光感受器细胞。在这里，我们建议阐明秀丽隐杆线虫中光敏的机制。我们将确定光持需要的所有感光细胞，确定感光细胞中的信号传导机制，并鉴定感光蛋白。我们将采用多学科方法，结合遗传学，行为分析，药理学，生物化学和电生理学。拟议的研究将提供有关哺乳动物中光感受器细胞非图像形成功能的机制的新见解。 公共卫生相关性：光敏异常导致各种人类疾病，包括眼部疾病和睡眠障碍。拟议的研究将促进我们对光敏疾病和相关疾病的理解。