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Food sensitizes C. elegans avoidance behaviours through acute dopamine signalling

Ezcurra, Marina, Tanizawa, Yoshinori, Swoboda, Peter, Schafer, William R. (2011) Food sensitizes C. elegans avoidance behaviours through acute dopamine signalling. EMBO Journal, 30 . pp. 1110-1122. ISSN 0261-4189. E-ISSN 1460-2075. (doi:10.1038/emboj.2011.22) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:91258)

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Abstract

Many behavioural states are modulated by food availability and nutritional status. Here, we report that in Caenorhabditis elegans, the presence of an external food source enhances avoidance responses to soluble repellents sensed by the polymodal ASH neurons. This enhancement requires dopamine signalling and is mimicked by exogenous dopamine. Food modulation is dependent on the mechanosensory cilia of the dopaminergic neurons, indicating that dopamine is released in response to sensation of bacteria. Activation of the dopamine neurons leads within seconds to a transient state of increased sensory acuity. In vivo imaging experiments indicate that this dopamine-dependent sensitization results in part from modality-specific increases in the magnitude and duration of gustatory responses in the ASH neurons. The D1-like dopamine receptor DOP-4 acts cell autonomously in ASH to mediate effects on response magnitude. Thus, dopamine functions as a direct signal of the presence of food to control context-dependent behavioural states.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1038/emboj.2011.22
Uncontrolled keywords: C. elegans, dopamine, modulation, neuropeptide, nociception
Subjects: Q Science > QP Physiology (Living systems)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Natural Sciences > Biosciences
Depositing User: Marina Ezcurra
Date Deposited: 02 Nov 2021 10:56 UTC
Last Modified: 16 Nov 2021 10:27 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/91258 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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