Temperature Sensing by an Olfactory Neuron in a Circuit Controlling Behavior of C. elegans.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Temperature Sensing by an Olfactory Neuron in a Circuit Controlling Behavior of C. elegans.
Authors:	Kuhara, Atsushi, Okumura, Masatoshi, Kimata, Tsubasa, Tanizawa, Yoshinori, Takano, Ryo, Kimura, Koutarou D., Inada, Hitoshi, Matsumoto, Kunihiro, Mori, Ikue
Source:	Science (pre-March 2025). 5/9/2008, Vol. 320 Issue 5877, p803-807. 5p. 4 Graphs.
Subjects:	Nematodes, Calcium, Cranial nerves, Neurons, Nervous system, Axons, Dendrites, Senses, Physiological effects of temperature
Abstract:	Temperature is an unavoidable environmental cue that affects the metabolism and behavior of any creature on Earth, yet how animals perceive temperature is poorly understood. The nematode Coenorhabditis elegans "memorizes" temperatures, and this stored information modifies its subsequent migration along a temperature gradient. We show that the olfactory neuron designated AWC senses temperature. Calcium imaging revealed that AWC responds to temperature changes and that response thresholds differ depending on the temperature to which the animal was previously exposed. In the mutant with impaired heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (6 protein)-mediated signaling, AWC was hyperresponsive to temperature, whereas the AIY interneuron (which is postsynaptic to AWC) was hyporesponsive to temperature. Thus, temperature sensation exhibits a robust influence on a neural circuit controlling a memory-regulated behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Description
Abstract:	Temperature is an unavoidable environmental cue that affects the metabolism and behavior of any creature on Earth, yet how animals perceive temperature is poorly understood. The nematode Coenorhabditis elegans "memorizes" temperatures, and this stored information modifies its subsequent migration along a temperature gradient. We show that the olfactory neuron designated AWC senses temperature. Calcium imaging revealed that AWC responds to temperature changes and that response thresholds differ depending on the temperature to which the animal was previously exposed. In the mutant with impaired heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (6 protein)-mediated signaling, AWC was hyperresponsive to temperature, whereas the AIY interneuron (which is postsynaptic to AWC) was hyporesponsive to temperature. Thus, temperature sensation exhibits a robust influence on a neural circuit controlling a memory-regulated behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	00368075
DOI:	10.1126/science.1148922