Femtosecond laser ablation reveals antagonistic sensory and neuroendocrine signaling that underlie C. elegans behavior and development.

ABSTRACT: The specific roles of neuronal subcellular components in behavior and development remain largely unknown, even though advances in molecular biology and conventional whole-cell laser ablation have greatly accelerated the identification of contributors at the molecular and cellular levels. We systematically applied femtosecond laser ablation, which has submicrometer resolution in vivo, to dissect the cell bodies, dendrites, or axons of a sensory neuron (ASJ) in Caenorhabditis elegans to determine their roles in modulating locomotion and the developmental decisions for dauer, a facultative, stress-resistant life stage. Our results indicate that the cell body sends out axonally mediated and hormonal signals in order to mediate these functions. Furthermore, our results suggest that antagonistic

SUBMITTER: Chung SH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4780052 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature