A Glial Hub-and-Spoke Circuitry in C. elegans orchestrates bidirectional thermosensation.

ABSTRACT: Thermosensation is evolutionarily conserved for survival, yet the roles of glia in temperature coding and circuit dynamics remain poorly understood. Here, we identify C. elegans AMsh glia as dual-mode thermosensory hubs that autonomously detect temperature fluctuations by co-expressing the heat receptor GCY-28 (guanylate cyclase) and cold receptor GLR-3 (ionotropic glutamate receptor). Thermal changes induce spatiotemporal calcium dynamics in glia, driving GABA release to bidirectionally modulate neural circuits: enhancing AFD-mediated warmth detection through the excitatory receptor EXP-1 and suppressing ASH-dependent cold avoidance via the inhibitory receptor LGC-38. This GABAergic hub-and-spoke architecture regulates a broad range of thermal behaviors, including thermal avoidance, therm

SUBMITTER: Zhu L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12923798 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature