The tactile receptive fields of freely moving Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes.

ABSTRACT: Sensory neurons embedded in skin are responsible for the sense of touch. In humans and other mammals, touch sensation depends on thousands of diverse somatosensory neurons. By contrast, Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes have six gentle touch receptor neurons linked to simple behaviors. The classical touch assay uses an eyebrow hair to stimulate freely moving C. elegans, evoking evasive behavioral responses. This assay has led to the discovery of genes required for touch sensation, but does not provide control over stimulus strength or position. Here, we present an integrated system for performing automated, quantitative touch assays that circumvents these limitations and incorporates automated measurements of behavioral responses. The Highly Automated Worm Kicker (HAWK) unites a microfabric

SUBMITTER: Mazzochette EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6168290 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature