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- Title
The role of slo-1 in short and long term habituation in C. elegans.
- Authors
Lai, Joshua; Butterfield, Mike; Giles, Andrew; Rankin, Catharine
- Abstract
BK channels are large conductance, voltage-gated, calcium-activated potassium channels that modulate smooth muscle tone and neuronal excitability. The C elegans homolog, SLO-1, is an important regulator of neurotransmitter release. C. elegans habituates to mechanical stimulation (tap) differentially at short and long interstimulus intervals (ISIs). We asked if deletion of slo-1 in C. elegans changes the rate or degree of habituation, whether this effect is ISI dependent, and whether this deletion disrupts long-term memory for habituation. We characterize habituation behaviour in slo-1 (js118) deletion mutants, and attempt to localize its effects to either presynaptic sensory neurons, or postsynaptic interneurons within the tap habituation circuit. We found that at shorter ISIs (10s and 30s), slo-1 deletion mutants did not differ from wild-type, but at 60s ISI, exhibited an impaired pattern of habituation. Mutations in slo-1 that result in increased calcium sensitivity of the channel (strain ky389gf) showed decreased responses to stimulation, but did not differ from a wild-type pattern of habituation. slo-1 deletion mutants also failed to show long term memory for habituation training. Selective rescue of slo-1 expression in the nervous system restored wild-type patterns of habituation at 60s ISI, and rescued long term memory. We conclude that SLO-1 is necessary for normal patterns of short term habituation at 60s ISI, as well as for formation of long term memory for tap. At shorter ISIs, absence of SLO-1 does not appear to affect habituation. We have localized slo-1's effects to identified neurons in the neural circuit for tap. We are currently testing rescues in specific subsets of neurons to determine the locus of slo-1's effect on short and long term habituation.
- Subjects
CALCIUM-dependent potassium channels; NEURONS; NEURAL transmission; NEUROTRANSMITTERS; NERVOUS system
- Publication
UBC Medical Journal, 2011, Vol 2, Issue 2, p47
- ISSN
1920-7425
- Publication type
Abstract