title: Developmental programming modulates olfactory behavior in C. elegans via endogenous RNAi pathways.
abstract: Environmental stress during early development can impact adult phenotypes via programmed changes in gene expression. C. elegans larvae respond to environmental stress by entering the stress-resistant dauer diapause pathway and resume development once conditions improve (postdauers). Here we show that the osm-9 TRPV channel gene is a target of developmental programming and is down-regulated specifically in the ADL chemosensory neurons of postdauer adults, resulting in a corresponding altered olfactory behavior that is mediated by ADL in an OSM-9-dependent manner. We identify a cis-acting motif bound by the DAF-3 SMAD and ZFP-1 (AF10) proteins that is necessary for the differential regulation of osm-9, and demonstrate that both chromatin remodeling and endo-siRNA pathways are major contributors to the transcriptional silencing of the osm-9 locus. This work describes an elegant mechanism by which developmental experience influences adult phenotypes by establishing and maintaining transcriptional changes via RNAi and chromatin remodeling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, United States.
authors.forename: Jennie R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sims
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, United States.
authors.forename: Maria C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ow
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, United States.
authors.forename: Mailyn A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nishiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, Daegu, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyuhyung
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: National Center for Behavioral Genomics, Department of Biology, Brandeis University, Waltham, United States.
authors.forename: Piali
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sengupta
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, United States.
authors.forename: Sarah E
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-8536-4000
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Hall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008032:Limbic System / Q000196:embryology*; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D055696:Olfactory Perception; D034622:RNA Interference; D012903:Smell; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C108820:OSM-9 protein, C elegans; D050916:TRPV Cation Channels
keywords: C. elegans; RNAi; TGF-beta; chromatin; chromosomes; dauer; genes; neuroscience; osm-9; postdauer