Journal
CURRENT BIOLOGY
Volume 32, Issue 2, Pages 398-+Publisher
CELL PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.11.035
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Funding
- NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Programs [P40 OD010440]
- National Research Foundation of Korea [NRF-2017R1A4A1015534, 2020R1A6A1A03040516]
- National Research Foundation of Korea [2020R1A6A1A03040516] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
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This study reveals the mechanism by which animals switch their behaviors based on the concentration of a chemical through connecting two different types of chemosensory neurons.
Animals detect and discriminate countless environmental chemicals for their well-being and survival. Although a single chemical can trigger opposing behavioral responses depending on its concentration, the mechanisms underlying such a concentration-dependent switching remain poorly understood. Here, we show that C. elegans exhibits either attraction or avoidance of the bacteria-derived volatile chemical dimethyl trisulfide (DMTS) depending on its concentration. This behavioral switching is mediated by two different types of chemosensory neurons, both of which express the DMTS-sensitive seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) SRI-14. These two sensory neurons share downstream interneurons that process and translate DMTS signals via distinct glutamate receptors to generate the appropriate behavioral outcome. Thus, our results present one mechanism by which an animal connects two distinct types of chemosensory neurons detecting a common ligand to alternate downstream circuitry, thus efficiently switching between specific behavioral programs based on ligand concentration.
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