Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hongfei Ji, Anthony D. Fouad, Zihao Li, Andrew Ruba, Christopher Fang-Yen
Summary: This study describes the proprioception-mediated homeostatic control of undulatory movement in C. elegans. The worm responds to decreases in midbody bending amplitude by increasing anterior amplitude and vice versa. The neural circuit underlying this compensatory postural response involves dopamine signaling from PDE neurons to AVK interneurons, which release FLP-1 to regulate SMB head motor neurons for anterior bending. This homeostatic control optimizes locomotor efficiency.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Biology
Hongfei Ji, Anthony D. Fouad, Shelly Teng, Alice Liu, Pilar Alvarez-Illera, Bowen Yao, Zihao Li, Christopher Fang-Yen
Summary: The study found that the undulatory movements of C. elegans were highly asymmetrical in terms of the duration of bending and unbending in each cycle. Phase response curves induced by transient optogenetic muscle inhibition showed gradual increases and rapid decreases in response as the perturbation phase changed. A relaxation oscillator model based on proprioceptive thresholds was developed to explain the neuromuscular mechanism underlying motor pattern generation in C. elegans.
Review
Neurosciences
Umer Saleem Bhat, Navneet Shahi, Siju Surendran, Kavita Babu
Summary: The adaptable and plastic nature of the nervous system in multicellular animals allows for survival and thriving by responding and adapting to environmental changes. Key neurotransmitters and neuropeptides play a crucial role in integrating sensory information and regulating behaviors, while C. elegans serves as an excellent model for understanding behavioral plasticity mechanisms.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jun Zhang, Wenxing Yang, Zhuo Li, Feijun Huang, Kui Zhang
Summary: This study investigated the behavioral changes caused by multigenerational exposure to cadmium in C. elegans, and observed its impact on animal behaviors. The results showed that multigenerational cadmium exposure can increase the head thrashing frequency of C. elegans during swimming, and impair its chemotactic behaviors to isoamyl alcohol, diacetyl, and 2-nonanone.
Article
Cell Biology
Maria B. Harreguy, Zainab Tanvir, Esha Shah, Blandine Simprevil, Tracy S. Tran, Gal Haspel
Summary: Extracellular signaling proteins play a crucial role in neuronal growth and development, and they are also involved in neuronal regeneration and injury recovery. In this study, we investigated the role of semaphorins and plexins, a family of conserved proteins, in the locomotion behavior and neuronal morphology of Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that the absence of plexins promoted regrowth and reconnection of motoneuron neurites, and the recovery of locomotion behavior was even better than the regeneration process.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Akira Yamasaki, Michiyo Suzuki, Tomoo Funayama, Takahito Moriwaki, Tetsuya Sakashita, Yasuhiko Kobayashi, Qiu-Mei Zhang-Akiyama
Summary: High-dose radiation was found to significantly reduce locomotion ability in Caenorhabditis elegans, affecting both crawling and swimming behaviors in a dose-dependent manner. Recovery of swimming ability was observed after gamma-ray radiation exposure. Additionally, the induction of the autophagy-related gene lgg-1 was observed in response to radiation, with stronger fluorescence intensity in the anterior half of the body. Region-specific radiation with carbon-ion microbeams further supported the importance of the anterior half of the body in the locomotory response to radiation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Xin Hua, Xiao Feng, Geyu Liang, Jie Chao, Dayong Wang
Summary: The potential neurotoxicity of 6-PPDQ after long-term exposure and the underlying mechanism are unclear. In this study, abnormal locomotion behaviors and neurodegeneration of motor neurons were observed in nematodes exposed to 6-PPDQ. The activation of the DEG-3-mediated signaling cascade and the involvement of genes like jnk-1, dbl-1, daf-7, and glb-10 were also identified.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Elsa Bonnard, Jun Liu, Nicolina Zjacic, Luis Alvarez, Monika Scholz, Manuel Zimmer
Summary: This article introduces a tool called PharaGlow and an imaging protocol for measuring feeding behavior of crawling worms. The tool demonstrates robustness and high-throughput capabilities, and can be used in different scenarios to measure feeding behavior.
Article
Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Yongxing Wang, Thomas Ranner, Thomas P. Ilett, Yan Xia, Netta Cohen
Summary: This article discusses the inverse problem of a Cosserat rod, where the position of the rod's centreline is given and the external forces, torques, and the orientation of the cross sections need to be determined. The inverse problem is formulated as an optimal control problem, with the position of the centreline as the objective function and the external force and torque as the control variables. The article proposes a monolithic, implicit numerical scheme and validates the forward formulation using a numerical benchmark. The solvability and stability of the inverse problem are tested using data from forward simulations. The article also applies the proposed method to study the locomotion of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, combining mathematical modelling and laboratory data to gain insights into the worm's anatomical orientation beyond what can be observed through the laboratory data.
COMPUTATIONAL MECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Lan Deng, Jack E. Denham, Charu Arya, Omer Yuval, Netta Cohen, Gal Haspel
Summary: Inhibition plays important roles in modulating neural activities in sensory and motor systems, particularly in C. elegans where GABAergic motoneurons are involved in generating oscillatory motion. Mutants with defective GABA transmission exhibit slow movement, and the activity patterns of GABAergic motoneurons vary between low-frequency and high-frequency undulation.
Article
Biology
Jessica Dysarz, Georg Fuellen, Steffen Moeller, Walter Luyten, Christian Schmitz-Linneweber, Nadine Saul
Summary: Multiple Caenorhabditis elegans genes related to healthspan have been validated experimentally, with most of them re-confirmed through health measurements in old worms.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Mohammad Shaokat Ali, Shamima Ahmed, Shino Takeuchi, Takayuki Wada, Eriko Kage-Nakadai
Summary: Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis enhances locomotion in Caenorhabditis elegans and exerts its effects through modulation of specific transcription factors.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Areta Jushaj, Matthew Churgin, Miguel de la Torre, Amanda Kieswetter, Brecht Driesschaert, Ineke Dhondt, Bart P. Braeckman, Christopher Fang-Yen, Liesbet Temmerman
Summary: Understanding healthy aging is a challenge in biogerontology. Although many genes are known to affect lifespan, the effects on healthspan are unclear. A platform called WorMotel was used to study the effects of gene knockdown on locomotive health in Caenorhabditis elegans. Knockdown of six genes affected healthspan without altering lifespan, and knockdown of F26A3.4 and chn-1 improved healthspan. Follow-up experiments confirmed that knockdown of F26A3.4 improved locomotive health and muscle structure in old age.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Xiang Xiao, Xiaowei Zhang, Juan Bai, Jie Li, Caiqin Zhang, Yansheng Zhao, Ying Zhu, Jiayan Zhang, Xinghua Zhou
Summary: The study found that BPS can increase fat accumulation and affect the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism using the C. elegans model. Low dose of BPS showed a stronger impact, promoting fat synthesis through specific genes and inhibiting fatty acid oxidation.
Article
Biology
Ye Yuan, Kuankuan Xin, Jian Liu, Peng Zhao, Man Pok Lu, Yuner Yan, Yuchen Hu, Hong Huo, Zhaoyu Li, Tao Fang
Summary: Investigating the locomotion of aging C. elegans is crucial for understanding the mechanisms behind age-related changes. However, current quantification methods lack necessary physical variables, making it challenging to capture essential dynamics. To address this, we developed a data-driven model using graph neural networks to study changes in locomotion patterns of aging C. elegans. Our model revealed that each segment of the C. elegans body tends to maintain its locomotion while influencing adjacent segments, with this ability strengthening with age. Additionally, subtle variations in locomotion patterns were observed across different aging stages. This model provides a valuable data-driven approach for quantifying and exploring the causes of locomotion changes in aging C. elegans.
COMPUTERS IN BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Ting Peng, Jun Gong, Yongzhe Jin, Yanping Zhou, Rongsheng Tong, Xin Wei, Lan Bai, Jianyou Shi
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2018)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Teemu T. Turunen, Ari Koskelainen
TOXICOLOGY AND APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Ala Moshiri, Rui Chen, Soohyun Kim, R. Alan Harris, Yumei Li, Muthuswamy Raveendran, Sarah Davis, Qingnan Liang, Ori Pomerantz, Jun Wang, Laura Garzel, Ashley Cameron, Glenn Yiu, J. Timothy Stout, Yijun Huang, Christopher J. Murphy, Jeffrey Roberts, Kota N. Gopalakrishna, Kimberly Boyd, Nikolai O. Artemyev, Jeffrey Rogers, Sara M. Thomasy
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2019)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Sebastiaan C. de Graaf, Oleg Klykov, Henk van den Toorn, Richard A. Scheltema
JOURNAL OF PROTEOME RESEARCH
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mohammadjavad Mohammadi, Hossein Mohammadiarani, Vincent S. Shaw, Richard R. Neubig, Harish Vashisth
PROTEINS-STRUCTURE FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kevin D. Schuster, Mohammadjavad Mohammadi, Karyn B. Cahill, Suzanne L. Matte, Alexis D. Maillet, Harish Vashisth, Rick H. Cote
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nirav Barapatre, Eva Haeussner, David Grynspan, Christoph Schmitz, Franz Edler von Koch, Hans-Georg Frank
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2019)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sahil Gulati, Krzysztof Palczewski, Andreas Engel, Henning Stahlberg, Lubomir Kovacik
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xin Wang, David C. Plachetzki, Rick H. Cote
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Feixia Chu, Donna Hogan, Richa Gupta, Xiong-Zhuo Gao, Hieu T. Nguyen, Rick H. Cote
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael J. Irwin, Richa Gupta, Xiong-Zhuo Gao, Karyn B. Cahill, Feixia Chu, Rick H. Cote
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Richa Gupta, Yong Liu, Huanchen Wang, Christopher T. Nordyke, Ryan Z. Puterbaugh, Wenjun Cui, Krisztina Varga, Feixia Chu, Hengming Ke, Harish Vashisth, Rick H. Cote
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2020)
Review
Physiology
Rick H. Cote
Summary: This review article discusses the role of cGMP in the visual signaling pathway of the vertebrate retina, particularly focusing on the metabolism of cGMP in rod and cone photoreceptors. It highlights recent advances in understanding the structural and conformational changes involved in the activation of PDE6 by transducin and the regulation of its lifetime, as well as the potential therapeutic applications of pharmacological compounds targeting PDE6 in inherited retinal diseases.
PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Developmental Biology
Nirav Barapatre, Cornelia Kampfer, Sina Henschen, Christoph Schmitz, Franz Edler von Koch, Hans-Georg Frank
Summary: The study revealed that in IUGR placentas, the mean volume of contractile villi was significantly reduced while the volume of noncontractile villi remained unchanged. Additionally, there was a significant reduction in vessel volume in both types of villi. These findings suggest that cellular growth disturbances may lead to morphological differences in IUGR placentas compared to normal placentas.
Article
Biology
Michael Irwin, Xin Wang, Rick Cote
Summary: This study describes the use of silica nanoparticles coated with a phospholipid bilayer to reconstitute and study the GPCR signaling pathway. The use of these lipobeads allows for efficient activation of the pathway and detection of protein-protein interactions. The method has advantages over traditional liposome preparations and is applicable to other membrane-confined signaling pathways.