Dissection of a sensorimotor circuit underlying pathogen aversion in C. elegans

ABSTRACT:

Background

Altering animal behavior to reduce pathogen exposure is a key line of defense against pathogen attack. In Caenorhabditis elegans, alterations in intestinal physiology caused by pathogen colonization and sensation of microbial metabolites may lead to activation of pathogen aversive behaviors ranging from aversive reflexes to learned avoidance. However, the neural circuitry between chemosensory neurons that sense pathogenic bacterial cues and the motor neurons responsible for avoidance-associated locomotion remains unknown.

Results

Using C. elegans, we found that backward locomotion was a component of learned pathogen avoidance, as animals pre-exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Enterococcus faecalis showed reflexive aversion to drops of the bacteria driven by c

SUBMITTER: Filipowicz A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9548130 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature