title: Proprioceptive coupling within motor neurons drives C. elegans forward locomotion.
abstract: Locomotion requires coordinated motor activity throughout an animal's body. In both vertebrates and invertebrates, chains of coupled central pattern generators (CPGs) are commonly evoked to explain local rhythmic behaviors. In C. elegans, we report that proprioception within the motor circuit is responsible for propagating and coordinating rhythmic undulatory waves from head to tail during forward movement. Proprioceptive coupling between adjacent body regions transduces rhythmic movement initiated near the head into bending waves driven along the body by a chain of reflexes. Using optogenetics and calcium imaging to manipulate and monitor motor circuit activity of moving C. elegans held in microfluidic devices, we found that the B-type cholinergic motor neurons transduce the proprioceptive signal. In C. elegans, a sensorimotor feedback loop operating within a specific type of motor neuron both drives and organizes body movement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. vineygeyser@gmail.com
authors.forename: Quan
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Michelle D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Po
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hulme
authors.forename: Sway
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Xinyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Sen Wai
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gershow
authors.forename: Andrew M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Leifer
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fang-Yen
authors.forename: Taizo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawano
authors.forename: William R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Schafer
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Whitesides
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wyart
authors.forename: Dmitri B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Chklovskii
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.forename: Aravinthan D T
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Samuel
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D000977:Antiparasitic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D063226:Central Pattern Generators / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D059329:Cholinergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D003116:Color; D059330:GABAergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D025602:Halorhodopsins / Q000235:genetics; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D007559:Ivermectin / Q000494:pharmacology; D007734:Kymography / Q000379:methods; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods; D008027:Light; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044085:Microfluidics; D008954:Models, Biological; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D062308:Optogenetics; D010507:Periodicity; D011434:Proprioception / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012243:Rhodopsin / Q000235:genetics; D014741:Video Recording; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein
chemical_list: D000977:Antiparasitic Agents; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002118:Calcium; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D025602:Halorhodopsins; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D007559:Ivermectin; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012243:Rhodopsin; D000097573:Red Fluorescent Protein; C109201:Unc-9 protein, C elegans; C099772:VAB-7 protein, C elegans