Immature <i>C. elegans</i> motor neurons control early embryo behavior via both synaptic and non-synaptic GABA release.

ABSTRACT: Pre-natal brain activity has long lasting effects on subsequent neurodevelopment. It is unclear if early brain activity is dominated by cell intrinsic, synaptic, or non-synaptic mechanisms. We address this question by analyzing C. elegans embryo behavior in snf-11 mutants, which lack a plasma membrane GABA re-uptake pump (orthologous to GAT1). At 510-570 minutes post-fertilization, embryo motion was transiently and potently inhibited in snf-11 GAT1 mutants, which precedes formation of most nerve ring synapses. This transient motion inhibition requires GABA synthesis in DD motor neurons and UNC-49 GABA_A receptors in body muscles. When motion inhibition occurs, DD neurons have not yet completed neurite outgrowth. Genetic analysis suggests that motion inhibitio

SUBMITTER: Marvel-Coen J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12667944 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature