title: Dissection of neuronal gap junction circuits that regulate social behavior inCaenorhabditis elegans.
abstract: A hub-and-spoke circuit of neurons connected by gap junctions controls aggregation behavior and related behavioral responses to oxygen, pheromones, and food inCaenorhabditis elegansThe molecular composition of the gap junctions connecting RMG hub neurons with sensory spoke neurons is unknown. We show here that the innexin geneunc-9is required in RMG hub neurons to drive aggregation and related behaviors, indicating that UNC-9-containing gap junctions mediate RMG signaling. To dissect the circuit in detail, we developed methods to inhibitunc-9-based gap junctions with dominant-negativeunc-1transgenes.unc-1(dn)alters a stomatin-like protein that regulatesunc-9electrical signaling; its disruptive effects can be rescued by a constitutively active UNC-9::GFP protein, demonstrating specificity. Expression ofunc-1(dn)in RMG hub neurons, ADL or ASK pheromone-sensing neurons, or URX oxygen-sensing neurons disrupts specific elements of aggregation-related behaviors. In ADL,unc-1(dn)has effects opposite to those of tetanus toxin light chain, separating the roles of ADL electrical and chemical synapses. These results reveal roles of gap junctions in a complex behavior at cellular resolution and provide a tool for similar exploration of other gap junction circuits.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065.|Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065.
authors.forename: Heeun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065.|Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065.
authors.forename: Sagi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065.|Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065.
authors.forename: Steven W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Flavell
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology IMP, Vienna Biocenter, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Fanny
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mende
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology IMP, Vienna Biocenter, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Latham
authors.affiliation: Research Institute of Molecular Pathology IMP, Vienna Biocenter, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zimmer
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065; cori@rockefeller.edu.|Lulu and Anthony Wang Laboratory of Neural Circuits and Behavior, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065.
authors.forename: Cornelia I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Bargmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D054351:Electrical Synapses / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000235:genetics; D010675:Pheromones / Q000378:metabolism; D011984:Sensory Receptor Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D010675:Pheromones; C113701:Unc-1 protein, C elegans; C109201:Unc-9 protein, C elegans
keywords: electrical synapses; innexin; neural circuits; sensory behavior; stomatin