Distinct neurogenetic mechanisms establish the same chemosensory valence state at different life stages in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: An animal's preference for many chemosensory cues remains constant despite dramatic changes in the animal's internal state. The mechanisms that maintain chemosensory preference across different physiological contexts remain poorly understood. We previously showed that distinct patterns of neural activity and motor output are evoked by carbon dioxide (CO2) in starved adults vs dauers of Caenorhabditis elegans, despite the two life stages displaying the same preference (attraction) for CO2. However, how the distinct CO2-evoked neural dynamics and motor patterns contribute to CO2 attraction at the two life stages remained unclear. Here, using a CO2 chemotaxis assay, we show that different interneurons are employed to drive CO2 attraction at the two life stages. We also investigate the molecul

SUBMITTER: Banerjee N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10849362 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature