Download or read book Genetic Analysis of the Neuronal Integrated Stress Response in Developmental Plasticity and Organismal Physiology of C Elegans written by Warakorn Kulalert and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The genetic study of the C. elegans dauer developmental decision has served as an experimental paradigm for understanding how environmental cues influence organismal physiology through evolutionarily conserved neuroendocrine signaling mechanisms. My genetic characterization of the previously isolated daf-28(sa191) mutant that enters dauer constitutively has revealed cell-nonautonomous roles of conserved stress signaling pathways-the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) and translational control mediated by eIF2[alpha] phosphorylation. While the cell-autonomous functions of these stress-responsive mechanisms in maintaining cellular homeostasis have been examined, their organismal effects on remodeling development and stress responses remain largely unexplored. Chapter II will highlight the hypotheses and approaches that led to identification of the PEK-1/PERK branch of the UPR, functioning in a pair of chemosensory neurons, as a novel regulator of the dauer developmental decision. Chapter III will examine the systemic effects of eIF2[alpha] phosphorylation, downstream of PERK/PEK-1 activation, in the sensory nervous system on larval development and stress responses. Specifically, the identification of the C. elegans translational regulatory factors that function as molecular determinants of cellular and systemic sensitivity to eIF2[alpha] phosphorylation will be described. Subsections of Chapter III and IV will also highlight genes whose functions can modify the organismal effects of the UPR and eIF2[alpha] phosphorylation: these genes are involved in modulation of ER proteostasis or function in the dauer neuroendocrine pathways that interact with the UPR or eIF2[alpha] phosphorylation. Finally, we proceed to show that alterations in the neuronal eIF2[alpha] phosphorylation status may modulate sensory processing to influence diverse physiological outputs, mimicking the effects of starvation or unfavorable microbial environment. Collectively, results from my study indicate that modulation of the UPR and eIF2[alpha]-mediated translational control in the sensory nervous system confers substantial cell-nonautonomous effects on animal physiology. These findings underscore how molecular events underlying cellular homeostasis, which can be perturbed by fluctuating environmental and developmental conditions, may be co-opted to systemically reprogram organismal stress responses in C. elegans.
Download or read book The Neurobiology of C elegans written by and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2006-02-02 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Neurobiology of C. elegans assembles together a series of chapters describing the progress researchers have made toward solving some of the major problems in neurobiology with the use of this powerful model organism. The first chapter is an introduction to the anatomy of the C. elegans nervous system. This chapter provides a useful introduction to this system and will help the reader who is less familiar with this system understand the chapters that follow. The next two chapters on learning, conditioning and memory and neuronal specification and differentiation, summarize the current state of the C. elegans field in these two major areas of neurobiology. The remaining chapters describe studies in C. elegans that have provided particularly exciting insights into neurobiology.
Download or read book Caenorhabditis Elegans written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2011-11-23 with total page 513 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An updated edition of the classic Methods in Cell Biology volume 48, this book emphasizes diverse methods and technologies needed to investigate C. elegans, both as an integrated organism and as a model system for research inquiries in cell, developmental, and molecular biology, as well as in genetics and pharmacology. By directing its audience to tried-and-true and cutting-edge recipes for research, this comprehensive collection is intended to guide investigators of C. elegans for years to come. Diverse, up-to-date techniques covered will be useful to the broadening community of C. elegans researchers for years to come Chapters written by leaders in the field Tried and true methods deliver busy researchers a one-stop compendium of essential protocols
Download or read book Neuroglia in C elegans written by Randy F. Stout, Jr. and published by Biota Publishing. This book was released on 2018-02-27 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The nematode C. elegans is one of the most important model organisms for understanding neurobiology. Its completely mapped neural connectome of 302 neurons and fully characterized and stereotyped development have made it a prototype for understanding nervous system structure, development, and function. Fifty-six out of C. elegans' total of 959 somatic cells are classified as neuroglia. Although research on worm glia has lagged behind studies focused on neurons, there has been a steep upswing in interest during the past decade. Information arising from the recent burst of research on worm glia supports the idea that C. elegans will continue to be an important animal model for understanding glial cell biology. Since the developmental lineage of all cells was mapped, each glial cell in C. elegans is known by a specific name and has research associated with it. We list and describe the glia of the hermaphrodite form of C. elegans and summarize research findings relating to each glial cell. We hope this lecture provides an informative overview of worm glia to accompany the excellent and freely available online resources available to the worm research community.
Download or read book Developmental Plasticity in the C Elegans Nervous System written by Erin L. Peckol and published by . This book was released on 1999 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Neurobiology of Olfaction written by Anna Menini and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2009-11-24 with total page 438 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comprehensive Overview of Advances in OlfactionThe common belief is that human smell perception is much reduced compared with other mammals, so that whatever abilities are uncovered and investigated in animal research would have little significance for humans. However, new evidence from a variety of sources indicates this traditional view is likely
Download or read book Reproductive and Developmental Strategies written by Kazuya Kobayashi and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-06-01 with total page 783 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides new insights into the universality of biological systems in animal reproduction and development by a comparative study of a variety of mechanisms in animals ranging from basal invertebrates to vertebrates, including mammals. Animals accomplish genetic diversity through meiosis and fertilization, and during embryogenesis animals must produce specialized cell types, including germ cells, in accordance with their individual body plan. This series of phenomena is essential to the continuity of life in the animal kingdom, and animals show various reproductive and developmental strategies. This volume, comprising four parts, reviews animal kingdom diversity, including reproductive strategies and germ cell differentiation mechanisms (Part 1), sex determination and differentiation (Part2), the mechanisms of fertilization (Part 3), and body axis formation (Part 4). Readers will find descriptions of the reproduction or development of 180 species, 13 phyla, 35 classes, 74 orders, 117 families, and 151 genera in this book. Of particular interest is the diversity of molecules and mechanisms used to achieve the same biological purpose in different animals. Undergraduates, graduate students, and professional scientists who want a deeper understanding of animal reproductive and developmental mechanisms will find this book to be of great value.
Download or read book The Genetic Neuronal and Chemical Basis for Microbial Discrimination in Caenorhabditis Elegans written by Joshua Daniel Meisel and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discrimination among pathogenic and beneficial microbes is essential for host organism immunity and homeostasis. Increasingly, the nervous system of animals is being recognized as an important site of bacterial recognition, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Chapter One discusses how the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can be used to dissect the genetic and neuronal mechanisms that coordinate behavioral responses to bacteria. In Chapter Two, we show that chemosensory detection of two secondary metabolites produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa modulates a neuroendocrine signaling pathway that promotes C. elegans avoidance behavior. Specifically, secondary metabolites phenazine- I -carboxamide and pyochelin activate a G protein-signaling pathway in the ASJ chemosensory neuron pair that induces expression of the neuromodulator DAF-7/TGF-[beta]. DAF-7, in turn, activates a canonical TGF-P signaling pathway in adjacent interneurons to modulate aerotaxis behavior and promote avoidance of pathogenic P. aeruginosa. This chapter provides a chemical, genetic, and neuronal basis for how the behavior and physiology of a simple animal host can be modified by the microbial environment, and suggests that secondary metabolites produced by microbes may provide environmental cues that contribute to pathogen recognition and host survival. Genetic dissection of neuronal responses to bacteria in C. elegans can also lend insights into neurobiology more generally. In Chapter Three we show that loss of the lithium-sensitive phosphatase bisphosphate 3'-nucleotidase (BPNT-1) results in the selective dysfunction of the ASJ chemosensory neurons. As a result, BPNT- 1 mutants are defective in behaviors dependent on the ASJ neurons, such as pathogen avoidance and dauer exit. Acute treatment with lithium also causes reversible dysfunction of the ASJ neurons, and we show that this effect is mediated specifically through inhibition of BPNT-1. Finally, we show that lithium's selective effect on the nervous system is due in part to the limited expression of the cytosolic sulfotransferase SSU-1 in the ASJ neuron pair. Our data suggest that lithium, through inhibition of BPNT- 1 in the nervous system, can cause selective toxicity to specific neurons, resulting in corresponding effects on behavior of C. elegans. In Chapter Four I discuss the future directions for the genetic dissection of pathogen recognition in C. elegans.
Download or read book Genetic Analyses of Signal Transduction Pathways Involved in Neuromuscular Excitability and Neurodegeneration in Caenorhabtidis Elegans written by Bwarenaba B. Kautu and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 185 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Signal transduction pathways regulate many cellular and molecular aspects of the brain including neurotransmission and cell survival. Defects in neuronal signaling can lead to a variety of cognitive and affective disorders such as epilepsy and Parkinson's disease. Here, I use a genetically tractable organism, Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), as a model system to study the impact of two canonical signaling pathways on neuronal activity and survival. Using molecular and genetic tools, pharmacological assays, and microscopy techniques, I showed that the canonical Rac GTPase pathway regulates neuronal synchrony in the GABAergic neurons of C. elegans. In our experiments we observed that Rac GTPase mutants exhibited behavioral responses to a GABAA receptor antagonist, pentylenetetrazole. These mutants also exhibited hypersensitivities to an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, aldicarb, suggesting deficiencies in GABA transmission. Knockdown of selected cytoskeletal genes in Rac hypomorph mutants revealed synergistic interactions, particularly between the dynein motor complex and some members of the canonical Rac-signaling pathway. Examination of the nerve cords of C. elegans revealed that these genetic factors function to regulate vesicle transport in the GABAergic neurons of C. elegans. In my second project, I characterized the role of the heterotrimeric G protein G[alpha]q in the context of neuronal survival, using a C. elegans model of Parkinson's disease. In this work, we found that activation of G[alpha]q (EGL-30) can significantly protect the dopaminergic neurons against a human Parkinson's gene, [alpha]-synuclein ([alpha]-syn). Interestingly, inactivation of downstream effectors of G[alpha]q exacerbated the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the presence of [alpha]-syn suggesting that these factors likey function in a common pathway with G[alpha]q to provide protection for the dopaminergic neurons against [alpha]-syn-induced toxicity. These data suggest that activation of G[alpha]q signaling pathway can offer protection to the dopaminergic neurons and could be a potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's disease. Taken together, my work showed that Rac GTPase signaling pathway controls neuromuscular excitability in C. elegans and G[alpha]q signaling modulates protection of the dopaminergic neurons.
Download or read book C elegans written by Ian A. Hope and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 1999-12-09 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Caenorhabditis Elegans has been a popular model organism for biological research for over thirty years and has been used to investigate many aspects of animal development, for example apoptosis, the Hox genes, signal transduction pathways, and the development of the nervous system. It has recently taken on new importance with the publication of the entire genome sequence in 1998. The first chapter gives all the basic information on C. elegans required to use it: it's natural history, anatomy, life cycle, development, and evolution. Information on how to obtain, grow, and maintain C. elegans for use as a model system is given in Chapter 4. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the genome project and show how to use genome sequence information by searching the database for homologues using different search methods and then how to analyse the search data. The next chapter gives the essential practical details of transformation and common uses for the technique. Chapter 6 covers reverse genetics and describes strategies for gene inactivation that are known to work in C elegans: epigenetic inactivation and mutational germ line inactivation. Chapter 7 is designed to help the user analyse phenotype by microscopy and includes Normaski, fluorescence, 4-dimensional, and electron microscopy. Techniques for studying the neurobiology of C. elegans are given in chapter 8. Chapter 9 describes the three commonly used approaches for studying gene expression and Chapter 10 deals with the common methods of molecular biology essential for gene characterization. C. elegans is not the ideal organism for biochemical studies, but chapter 11 describes several procedures for producing biochemically useful quantities of pure tissues. The final chapter is about conventional genetics and details the standard procedures for selfing and crossing; mutagenesis and mutant screening; characterization of mutants; gene mapping; temperature-shift experiments and mosaic analysis. Caenorhabditis Elegans: A Practical Approach will therefore provide all the background information necessary for use of C. elegans as a model system.
Download or read book Germline Development written by Joan Marsh and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 1994-08-16 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Connects classical cellular descriptive studies with more recent work on the molecular and genetic aspects regarding germline development. Prominent scientists discuss research on a range of organisms including insects, worms, birds, fish, amphibia, mammals and green algae. Specification of germ cells, their migration to the gonads and subsequent interactions with the soma and evolutionary factors of their segregation are among the topics covered.
Download or read book Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Parasites written by Joseph Marr and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 1995-09-06 with total page 363 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of parasitic organisms at the molecular level has yielded fascinating new insights of great medical, social, and economical importance, and has pointed the way for the treatment and prevention of the diseases they cause. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Parasites presents an up-to-date account of this modern scientific discipline in a manner that allows and encourages the reader to place the biochemistry and molecular biology of these organisms in their biological context. The chapters are cross-referenced and grouped in an arrangement that provides a fully integrated whole, and permits the reader to create a composite of the biochemical function of these organisms. Individual chapter includes those devoted to metabolism, in both aerobic and anaerobic protozoa; antioxidant mechanisms; parasite surfaces; organelles; invasion mechanisms; and chemotherapy. The helminths are discussed not only from the point of view of their cellular biochemistry and metabolism, but also with respect to both their integrated functions such as neurochemistry, structure and functions of surfaces, and reproduction. Written by expert investigators, this book will be of interest to all experienced researchers, graduate students, and to the newcomer eager to become familiar with the biochemistry and molecular biology of parasites.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Invertebrate Neurobiology written by John H. Byrne and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2019-01-29 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Invertebrates have proven to be extremely useful model systems for gaining insights into the neural and molecular mechanisms of sensory processing, motor control and higher functions such as feeding behavior, learning and memory, navigation, and social behavior. A major factor in their enormous contributions to neuroscience is the relative simplicity of invertebrate nervous systems. In addition, some invertebrates, primarily the molluscs, have large cells, which allow analyses to take place at the level of individually identified neurons. Individual neurons can be surgically removed and assayed for expression of membrane channels, levels of second messengers, protein phosphorylation, and RNA and protein synthesis. Moreover, peptides and nucleotides can be injected into individual neurons. Other invertebrate model systems such as Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans offer tremendous advantages for obtaining insights into the neuronal bases of behavior through the application of genetic approaches. The Oxford Handbook of Invertebrate Neurobiology reviews the many neurobiological principles that have emerged from invertebrate analyses, such as motor pattern generation, mechanisms of synaptic transmission, and learning and memory. It also covers general features of the neurobiology of invertebrate circadian rhythms, development, and regeneration and reproduction. Some neurobiological phenomena are species-specific and diverse, especially in the domain of the neuronal control of locomotion and camouflage. Thus, separate chapters are provided on the control of swimming in annelids, crustaea and molluscs, locomotion in hexapods, and camouflage in cephalopods. Unique features of the handbook include chapters that review social behavior and intentionality in invertebrates. A chapter is devoted to summarizing past contributions of invertebrates to the understanding of nervous systems and identifying areas for future studies that will continue to advance that understanding.
Download or read book Neuronal Inputs and Outputs of Aging and Longevity written by Joy Alcedo and published by Frontiers. This book was released on 2013-08-23 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An animal’s survival strongly depends on its ability to maintain homeostasis in response to the changing quality of its external and internal environments. This is achieved through intercellular communication not only within a single tissue but also among different tissues and organ systems. Thus, alterations in tissue-to-tissue or organ-to-organ communications, which are under genetic regulation, can affect organismal homeostasis, and consequently impact the aging process. One of the organ systems that play a major role in maintaining homeostasis is the nervous system. Considering that the nervous system includes the sensory system, which perceives the complexity of an animal’s environment, it should be no surprise that there would be a sensory influence on homeostasis and aging. To promote homeostasis, any given sensory information is transmitted through short-range signals via neural circuits and/or through long-range endocrine signals to target tissues, which may in turn be neuronal or non-neuronal in nature. At the same time, since homeostasis involves a number of feedback mechanisms, non-neuronal tissues can also modulate sensory and other neuronal functions. Several genes that regulate signaling pathways known to affect homeostasis and aging have been shown to act in neurons, in tissues that are likely downstream targets of the nervous system, or through feedback regulation of neuronal activities. These genes can have different temporal requirements: some might function early, e.g., by affecting neural development, while others may only be required later in adulthood. Some well-known examples of genes involved in the neuronal regulation of homeostasis and longevity encode components of the evolutionarily conserved nutrient-sensing insulin/insulin-like signaling pathway, the stress-sensing internal repair system, and the mitochondrial electron transport chain. Indeed, the genetic perturbation of these pathways has been found to lead to numerous diseases, many of which are age-related and involve the nervous system, such as neurodegeneration and the metabolic syndrome. Despite much progress, however, many aspects of the neuronal inputs and outputs that affect aging and longevity are poorly understood to date. For example, the precise neuronal and non-neuronal circuitries and the details of the molecular mechanisms through which genes/signaling pathways maintain homeostasis and affect aging in response to the environment remain to be elucidated. Similarly, it is presently unclear whether genes that regulate the early development of the nervous system and its consequent circuitry influence homeostasis and longevity during adulthood. At the same time, although many genes affecting aging are conserved, both the nervous system and the aging process are highly variable within populations and among taxa. Accordingly, the role of natural genetic variation in shaping the neurobiology of aging is also presently unknown. The aim of this Research Topic is therefore to highlight the genetic, developmental, and physiological aspects of the signaling networks that mediate the neuronal inputs and outputs that are required to maintain organismal homeostasis. The elucidation of the effects of these neuronal activities on homeostasis may thus provide much-needed insight into mechanisms that affect aging and longevity.
Download or read book New Horizons in Health written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2001-03-09 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New Horizons in Health discusses how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) can integrate research in the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences to better understand the causes of disease as well as interventions that promote health. It outlines a set of research priorities for consideration by the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), with particular attention to research that can support and complement the work of the National Institutes of Health. By addressing the range of interactions among social settings, behavioral patterns, and important health concerns, it highlights areas of scientific opportunity where significant investment is most likely to improve nationalâ€"and globalâ€"health outcomes. These opportunities will apply the knowledge and methods of the behavioral and social sciences to contemporary health needs, and give attention to the chief health concerns of the general public.
Download or read book Intracellular Cholesterol Trafficking written by T.Y. Chang and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE FOR INTRACELLULAR CHOLESTEROL TRAFFICKING This volume is an elaboration of an earlier small meeting held in St. Louis, Missouri. In April 1997, many of the authors met for a two-day meeting devoted entirely to intracellular cholesterol trafficking. The rationale for this meeting was that investigators interested in this topic worked in a variety of fields, and rarely, if ever, all met together. Everybody knew each other's papers but mostly worked in isolation from one another. Understanding of cholesterol trafficking also appeared to have reached the point where it would start to rapidly expand beyond these few laboratories. Understanding of cholesterol trafficking was moving from a largely descriptive science into the molecular age. It seemed a good time to get together and see how much we agreed upon up to this point. More authors contributed to this volume than attended the St. Louis meeting. That meeting was generously funded by grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck and Company and Parke-Davis, however, the total funding available limited the size of the meeting. For the book, we are not so limited and have tried to be as inclusive as possible and pretty much invited everyone who is presently active in this area. We were quite fortunate to successfully recruit the authors we sought for each of these chapters. The authors and their contributions can be organized by particular interests and particular areas of expertise.
Download or read book C Elegans II written by Donald L. Riddle and published by Firefly Books. This book was released on 1997 with total page 1252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Defines the current status of research in the genetics, anatomy, and development of the nematode C. elegans, providing a detailed molecular explanation of how development is regulated and how the nervous system specifies varied aspects of behavior. Contains sections on the genome, development, neural networks and behavior, and life history and evolution. Appendices offer genetic nomenclature, a list of laboratory strain and allele designations, skeleton genetic maps, a list of characterized genes, a table of neurotransmitter assignments for specific neurons, and information on codon usage. Includes bandw photos. For researchers in worm studies, as well as the wider community of researchers in cell and molecular biology. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
