The Anatomic Connectome and Functional Dissection of the Caenorhabditis elegans First-stage Larvae (L1) Motor Circuit
Year: 2015
Type: dissertation
Abstract: During development, neural networks exhibits anatomic and functional modifications yet the activity patterns change remains poorly understood. The neural circuit controlling locomotion of C. elegans undergoes major reconstructions at the end of first-larval (L1) stage. In adults, the ventral/dorsal body wall muscles are symmetrically innervated by cholinergic and GABAergic motor neurons (MNs). Cholinergic MNs innervating ventral muscles are not derived during early L1 stage, yet the animals can still generate undulation. This study addressed how L1 C. elegans produces undulation and the mechanism underlying muscle innervations. We demonstrated that the activities of dorsal cholinergic MNs are required for both dorsal and ventral muscle contraction, and the GABAergic MNs mediate only ventral muscle relaxation. This indicated a differential synaptic wiring between MNs and muscles in L1 to permit undulation. Through this comparative analysis between juvenile and adult locomotion, we hope to provide insights on principles of behavioral adaptation during sensorimotor development.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Sihui Asuka Guan
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2597989406