Molecular correlates of neural network mediating touch sensitivity in caenorhabditis elegans.

✍ Scribed by Shahid S. Siddiqui

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1988
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 99 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0893-6080
• DOI: 10.1016/0893-6080(88)90309-7

✦ Synopsis

How do certain neurons form a functional network is hardly understood. The development of a neural network may involve both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Here we describe the cellular specificity of two different antigenic determinants in the neural network mediating touch sensitivity in the nematode Caenorhabditis elesans. In ~. elesans, the touch sensitivity is mediated by six touch receptor neurons, called microtubule cells(l). The anterior set consists of ALML, ALMR, and AVM, and the posterior set comprises PLML, PLMR, and PVM. The role of touch cells in the touch response has been shown by laser ablation of microtubule cells or their precursors(l). We have shown by indirect immunofluorescence that antibodies to horseradish peroxidase can distinguish between the anterior and posterior set of touch cells, i.e. they stain ALML, ALM!R, and AVM, but do not stain PLML, PLMR, and PVM. These results demonstrate a molecular difference between the anterior and posterior set of touch neurons, even though all six touch cells appear to be identical at the level of their ultrastructure(2).