title: Reciprocal inhibition between sensory ASH and ASI neurons modulates nociception and avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: Sensory modulation is essential for animal sensations, behaviours and survival. Peripheral modulations of nociceptive sensations and aversive behaviours are poorly understood. Here we identify a biased cross-inhibitory neural circuit between ASH and ASI sensory neurons. This inhibition is essential to drive normal adaptive avoidance of a CuSO4 (Cu(2+)) challenge in Caenorhabditis elegans. In the circuit, ASHs respond to Cu(2+) robustly and suppress ASIs via electro-synaptically exciting octopaminergic RIC interneurons, which release octopamine (OA), and neuroendocrinally inhibit ASI by acting on the SER-3 receptor. In addition, ASIs sense Cu(2+) and permit a rapid onset of Cu(2+)-evoked responses in Cu(2+)-sensitive ADF neurons via neuropeptides possibly, to inhibit ASHs. ADFs function as interneurons to mediate ASI inhibition of ASHs by releasing serotonin (5-HT) that binds with the SER-5 receptor on ASHs. This elaborate modulation among sensory neurons via reciprocal inhibition fine-tunes the nociception and avoidance behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Tai-Hong
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Yan-Xue
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Hai
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Chun-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Pin
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Lan-Lan
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Zi-Jing
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Chang-Li
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Maha T H
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Al-Mhanawi
authors.affiliation: School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430073, China.
authors.forename: Shi-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, and Department of Biophysics and Molecular Physiology, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China.
authors.forename: Zheng-Xing
authors.initials: ZX
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry; D019327:Copper Sulfate / Q000737:chemistry; D005838:Genotype; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000737:chemistry; D059225:Nociception / Q000502:physiology*; D009619:Nociceptors / Q000378:metabolism; D009655:Octopamine / Q000737:chemistry; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000737:chemistry; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D009655:Octopamine; D012701:Serotonin; D003300:Copper; D019327:Copper Sulfate; D002118:Calcium