TY - JOUR
T1 - Function of cell adhesion molecules in differentiation of ray sensory neurons in C. elegans
AU - Sakai, Naoko
AU - Sun, Peter
AU - Kim, Byunghyuk
AU - Emmons, Scott W.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Genetics Society of America.
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - For proper functioning of the nervous system, it is crucial that neurons find their appropriate partners and build the correct neural connection patterns. Although cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) have been studied for many years as essential players in neural connections, we have yet to unravel the code by which CAMs encode synaptic specificity. We analyzed the effects of mutations in CAM genes on the morphology and synapses of a set of sensory neurons in the Caenorhabditis elegans male tail. B-type ray sensory neurons express 10 genes encoding CAMs. We examined the effect on axon trajectory and localization of pre-synaptic components in viable mutants of nine of these. We found axon trajectory defects in mutants of UNC-40/DCC, SAX-3/ROBO, and FMI-1/Flamingo/Celsr1. None of the mutations caused loss of pre-synaptic components in axons, and in several the level even appeared to increase, suggesting possible accumulation of pre-synapses. B-type sensory neurons fasciculate with a second type of ray sensory neuron, the A-type, in axon commissures. We found a CAM expressed in A-type functions additively with a CAM expressed in B-type in axon guidance, and lack of a CAM expressed in B-type affected A-type axon guidance. Overall, single and multiple mutants of CAM genes had limited effects on ray neuron trajectories and accumulation of synaptic components.
AB - For proper functioning of the nervous system, it is crucial that neurons find their appropriate partners and build the correct neural connection patterns. Although cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) have been studied for many years as essential players in neural connections, we have yet to unravel the code by which CAMs encode synaptic specificity. We analyzed the effects of mutations in CAM genes on the morphology and synapses of a set of sensory neurons in the Caenorhabditis elegans male tail. B-type ray sensory neurons express 10 genes encoding CAMs. We examined the effect on axon trajectory and localization of pre-synaptic components in viable mutants of nine of these. We found axon trajectory defects in mutants of UNC-40/DCC, SAX-3/ROBO, and FMI-1/Flamingo/Celsr1. None of the mutations caused loss of pre-synaptic components in axons, and in several the level even appeared to increase, suggesting possible accumulation of pre-synapses. B-type sensory neurons fasciculate with a second type of ray sensory neuron, the A-type, in axon commissures. We found a CAM expressed in A-type functions additively with a CAM expressed in B-type in axon guidance, and lack of a CAM expressed in B-type affected A-type axon guidance. Overall, single and multiple mutants of CAM genes had limited effects on ray neuron trajectories and accumulation of synaptic components.
KW - Caenorhabditis elegans
KW - cell adhesion molecules
KW - development
KW - neuron
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150001238&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/G3JOURNAL/JKAC338
DO - 10.1093/G3JOURNAL/JKAC338
M3 - Article
C2 - 36573343
AN - SCOPUS:85150001238
SN - 2160-1836
VL - 13
JO - G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics
JF - G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics
IS - 3
M1 - jkac338
ER -