title: A glial K(+) /Cl(-) cotransporter modifies temperature-evoked dynamics in Caenorhabditis elegans sensory neurons.
abstract: K(+) /Cl(-) cotransporters (KCCs) are known to be crucial in the control of neuronal electrochemical Cl(-) gradient. However, the role of these proteins in glial cells remains largely unexplored despite a number of studies showing expression of KCC proteins in glial cells of many species. Here, we show that the Caenorhabditis elegans K(+) /Cl(-) cotransporter KCC-3 is expressed in glial-like cells and regulates the thermosensory behavior through modifying temperature-evoked activity of a thermosensory neuron. Mutations in the kcc-3 gene were isolated from a genetic screen for mutants defective in thermotaxis. KCC-3 is expressed and functions in the amphid sheath glia that ensheathes the AFD neuron, a major thermosensory neuron known to be required for thermotaxis. A genetic analysis indicated that the regulation of the thermosensory behavior by KCC-3 is mediated through AFD, and we further show that KCC-3 in the amphid sheath glia regulates the dynamics of the AFD activity. Our results show a novel mechanism by which the glial KCC-3 protein non-cell autonomously modifies the stimulus-evoked activity of a sensory neuron and highlights the functional importance of glial KCC proteins in modulating the dynamics of a neural circuitry to control an animal behavior.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakano
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.|JST ERATO Higashiyama Live-Holonics Project, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.|Present address: College of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Center for Gene Research, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ihara
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.|JST ERATO Higashiyama Live-Holonics Project, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.|Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM), Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Higashiyama
authors.affiliation: Division of Biological Science, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000502:physiology*; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D027981:Symporters / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature; D000096922:K Cl- Cotransporters
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D027981:Symporters; D000096922:K Cl- Cotransporters
keywords: AFD neuron; Caenorhabditis elegans; amphid sheath; behavior; glia; neural circuit; neuronal activity; potassium-chloride cotransporter; temperature sensing; thermotaxis