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NMDAR-mediated modulation of gap junction circuit regulates olfactory learning in C. elegans
Myung-Kyu Choi1,2, He Liu1,2, Taihong Wu1,2
1Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
Nature Communications
|July 12, 2020
Summary
Neural plasticity involves modulating gap junctions, crucial for learning. This study reveals how weakening these electrical synapses in C. elegans aids olfactory learning through molecular mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Molecular Biology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Modulation of gap junction-mediated electrical synapses is a common form of neural plasticity.
- The behavioral consequences and molecular mechanisms of this modulation remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of gap junction modulation in olfactory learning.
- To elucidate the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms in a C. elegans model.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a C. elegans circuit of interneurons connected by gap junctions.
- Examined the effects of olfactory learning experience on gap junction integrity and neuronal responses.
- Investigated the molecular regulation of gap junction components.
Main Results:
- Olfactory learning experience weakens gap junctions in the C. elegans interneuron circuit.
- Weakened gap junctions decouple interneuron responses, leading to learned olfactory behavior.
- Gap junction weakening is caused by downregulation of a gap junction molecule, regulated by NMDAR subunit and CaMKII homologs.
Conclusions:
- Gap junction modulation plays a significant role in facilitating olfactory learning in vivo.
- Identified a conserved regulatory pathway involving NMDAR and CaMKII homologs in gap junction modulation.
- This study provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of neural plasticity and learning.
