Download or read book Regulating Genes in the C Elegans Nervous System written by Bethany Stitt and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Genomic Regulatory Systems written by Eric H. Davidson and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2001-01-24 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The interaction between biology and evolution has been the subject of great interest in recent years. Because evolution is such a highly debated topic, a biologically oriented discussion will appeal not only to scientists and biologists but also to the interested lay person. This topic will always be a subject of controversy and therefore any breaking information regarding it is of great interest.The author is a recognized expert in the field of developmental biology and has been instrumental in elucidating the relationship between biology and evolution. The study of evolution is of interest to many different kinds of people and Genomic Regulatory Systems: In Development and Evolution is written at a level that is very easy to read and understand even for the nonscientist. * Contents Include* Regulatory Hardwiring: A Brief Overview of the Genomic Control Apparatus and Its Causal Role in Development and Evolution * Inside the Cis-Regulatory Module: Control Logic and How the Regulatory Environment Is Transduced into Spatial Patterns of Gene Expression* Regulation of Direct Cell-Type Specification in Early Development* The Secret of the Bilaterians: Abstract Regulatory Design in Building Adult Body Parts* Changes That Make New Forms: Gene Regulatory Systems and the Evolution of Body Plans
Download or read book Synapse Construction in C Elegans written by Kerri Ann Spilker and published by Stanford University. This book was released on 2011 with total page 112 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Specification and assembly of synapses is a highly coordinated and regulated process. Knowledge of the position and connectivity of all C. elegans neurons makes it a highly useful organism for studying the underlying mechanisms that control synapse formation. Using cell-specific promoters and fluorescently-labeled synaptic vesicle proteins, we are able to monitor synapse formation in subsets of C. elegans neurons. Close observation of synapse formation in a single posterior motorneuron (DA9) led to the identification of a mutation in the alternative splicing regulator mbl-1 that changes the synaptic pattern. The cholinergic motorneuron DA9 is required for backwards locomotion and forms ~25 synapses onto both inhibitory neurons and body wall muscles in the dorsal nerve cord (DNC) of the worm. We found that the 10 most distal synapses of DA9 fail to form in mbl-1 mutants, visualized with the synaptic vesicle-associated protein RAB-3 and the active zone proteins SYD-2/liprin-α and UNC-10/Rim. In addition, some RAB-3 mis-localizes to the dendrite of DA9 and animals have a backwards locomotion defect consistent with a loss of synapses onto dorsal body wall muscles. mbl-1 is a member of the conserved MBNL (Muscleblind like) family of CCCH zinc-finger RNA binding proteins that regulate alternative splicing of target genes by directly binding to target mRNA. In the human disease myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1), a progressive muscular dystrophy, sequestration of MBNL proteins in nuclear foci leads to altered splicing of downstream genes. Mis-splicing of several genes is responsible for the muscular and cardiac symptoms present in individuals with DM1. Most work on the MBNL proteins has focused on their role in muscle morphogenesis and maintenance. However, C. elegans mbl-1 is expressed in a subset of motorneurons including DA9 and is required cell autonomously in these neurons to regulate proper synapse formation. Post-synaptic and muscle markers were unaffected in mbl-1 mutant animals. Thus, our work demonstrates that mbl-1 also functions in neurons to regulate synapse formation. In a separate set of experiments, we identified a new mutation in the coding region of the touch cell-specific beta-tubulin, mec-7(wy116) that causes a defect in synapse formation in the mechanosensory neuron PLM. Previous studies have shown that mec-7 is expressed exclusively in the six touch neurons of C. elegans and is required for sensing light touch. Our mec-7 mutation leads to a loss of synaptic vesicle accumulation at PLM synaptic sites in the ventral nerve cord and synaptic vesicles are visible at ectopic locations along the lateral axon of PLM. Localization of the synaptic proteins VAMP and GIT-1 is also defective in our mutant, but neuronal morphology is wild-type. mec-7(wy116) is mildly Mec, but other alleles of mec-7 (e1506, e1527) do not phenocopy the synaptic vesicle localization defect. mec-7(wy116) is a missense mutation that alters a highly conserved Thr at position 409 to Ile. Crystal structures of tubulin indicate that this residue is on the face of tubulin that interacts with kinesin motor. Because we see synaptic vesicles along the lateral axon of PLM, we believe that kinesin-mediated vesicle transport is less efficient in mec-7(wy116) mutants.
Download or read book Neuropeptide Systems as Targets for Parasite and Pest Control written by Timothy G. Geary and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-01-13 with total page 246 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The need to continually discover new agents for the control or treatment of invertebrate pests and pathogens is undeniable. Agriculture, both animal and plant, succeeds only to the extent that arthropod and helminth consumers, vectors and pathogens can be kept at bay. Humans and their companion animals are also plagued by invertebrate parasites. The deployment of chemical agents for these purposes inevitably elicits the selection of resistant populations of the targets of control, necessitating a regular introduction of new kinds of molecules. Experience in other areas of chemotherapy has shown that a thorough understanding of the biology of disease is an essential platform upon which to build a discovery program. Unfortunately, investment of research resources into understanding the basic physiology of invertebrates as a strategy to illuminate new molecular targets for pesticide and parasiticide discovery has been scarce, and the pace of introduction of new molecules for these indications has been slowed as a result. An exciting and so far unexploited area to explore in this regard is invertebrate neuropeptide physiology. This book was assembled to focus attention on this promising field by compiling a comprehensive review of recent research on neuropeptides in arthropods and helminths, with contributions from many of the leading laboratories working on these systems.
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 E coli in Motion written by Howard C. Berg and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-01-11 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Escherichia coli, commonly referred to as E. coli, has been the organism of choice for molecular genetics for decades. Its machinery and mobile behavior is one of the most fascinating topics for cell scientists. Scientists and engineers, not trained in microbiology, and who would like to learn more about living machines, can see it as a unique example. This cross-disciplinary monograph covers more than thirty years of research and is accessible to graduate students and scientists alike.
Download or read book Regulatory Logic of Pan neuronal Gene Expression in Caenorhabditis Elegans written by and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nervous systems of all organisms are remarkably complex. This complexity is a reflection of the great diversity of the nervous systems' basic units, the neurons. There is a large variety of different neuron types that differ in their morphology, function and their underlying molecular composition. Even though neurons are very diverse, they all share common features, namely cellular projections (axons and dendrites) and synapses. Genes expressed in the entire nervous system, called pan-neuronal genes, encode the molecular correlates to these common features. Although a lot is known about how specific transcription factors, Terminal Selectors (TS), specify the different neuronal types by co-regulating neuron type specific gene expression, much less is understood about the regulatory programs that control the expression of pan-neuronal genes. Addressing this question is key to understanding how neuronal fate is determined. In this thesis I have explored the regulatory logic of pan-neuronal genes in C. elegans.
Download or read book Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience written by Jerry J. Buccafusco and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2000-08-29 with total page 341 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using the most well-studied behavioral analyses of animal subjects to promote a better understanding of the effects of disease and the effects of new therapeutic treatments on human cognition, Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience provides a reference manual for molecular and cellular research scientists in both academia and the pharmaceutic
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
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 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 Cis regulatory Mechanisms Regulating Gene Expression in C Elegans Chemosensory Neurons written by Eva B. Nokes and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 93 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Purinergic Signalling in Neuron Glia Interactions written by Derek J. Chadwick and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2006-05-01 with total page 302 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ATP, the intracellular energy source, is also an extremely important cell–cell signalling molecule for a wide variety of cells across evolutionarily diverse organisms. The extracellular biochemistry of ATP and its derivatives is complex, and the multiple membrane receptors that it activates are linked to many intracellular signalling systems. Purinergic signalling affects a diverse range of cellular phenomena, including ion channel function, cytoskeletal dynamics, gene expression, secretion, cell proliferation, differentiation and cell death. Recently, this class of signalling molecules and receptors has been found to mediate communication between neurons and non-neuronal cells (glia) in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Glia are critical for normal brain function, development and response to injury. Neural impulse activity is detected by glia and purinergic signalling is emerging as a major means of integrating functional activity between neurons, glia and vascular cells in the nervous system. These interactions mediate effects of neural activity on the development of the nervous system and in association with injury, neurodegeneration, myelination and cancer. Bringing together contributions from experts in diverse fields, including glial biologists, neurobiologists and specialists in purinergic receptor structure and pharmacology, this book considers how extracellular ATP acts to integrate communication between different types of glia, and between neurons and glia. Beginning with an overview of glia and purinergic signalling, it contains detailed coverage of purine release, receptors and reagents, purinergic signalling in the neural control of glial development, glial involvement in information processing, and discussion of the interactions between neurons and microglia.
Download or read book Regulation of Neuronal Polarity in C Elegans by TOE 2 and Wnt Signaling written by Mark Andrew Gurling and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Cellular polarization is an important aspect of neural development. During the development of the C. elegans nervous system, many divisions are asymmetric and give rise to neurons and cells that die. While we understand how cells die in C. elegans, we know much less about how cells are instructed to adopt the apoptotic fate. To address this issue, I studied the Q.p neuroblast, which divides to produce a larger anterior cell and a smaller posterior cell that dies. The surviving Q.p daughter divides again to form the neurons A/PVM and SDQ. A forward-genetic screen for mutants with extra A/PVMs in order to identify genes that regulate the apoptotic fate was conducted previously in the lab. A mutant, gm389, was isolated. In gm389, I identified a mutation in the gene toe-2, which encodes a target of the worm ERK ortholog, MPK-1. I found that TOE-2 not only regulates the apoptotic fate of the posterior Q.p daughter, but it also plays a role in the asymmetric division of Q, the mother of Q.p. I found that TOE-2 functions autonomously in the Q lineage where it regulates several asymmetric cell divisions (ACDs). I also show that, during Q lineage cell divisions, TOE-2 localizes to centrosomes, to the posterior cortex and at the site where the cleavage furrow will form. Cellular polarization is also required for the function of mature neurons. The function of a neuron is facilitated by its distinct morphology. Electrical signals are propagated along neuronal processes that extend from the cell body to form connections with muscle cells, sensory structures or other neurons. In vitro studies of developing neurons have shown that a neuronal process forms at random from one of many smaller processes protruding from the developing cell. Many intracellular molecules necessary for this process have been identified. However, many neurons display invariant polarity in vivo, suggesting specific regulation of the polarization process by external signals. Wnts and Frizzled receptors have been shown to direct polarization of mechanosensory neurons along the C. elegans anterior/posterior (AP) axis. It was shown that ectopic expression of MIG-1 in PLM reverses PLM polarity. I show that ectopic expression of the cysteine-rich domain of MIG-1 in PLM is not sufficient to cause a polarity reversal. I also show that the activity of MIG-1 in PLM is dependent upon the Wnt EGL-20.
Download or read book Developmental Timing written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2013-09-04 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This new volume of Current Topics in Developmental Biology covers developmental timing, with contributions from an international board of authors. The chapters provide a comprehensive set of reviews covering such topics as the timing of developmental programs in Drosophila, temporal patterning of neural progenitors, and environmental modulation of developmental timing.
Download or read book C Elegans Atlas written by David H. Hall and published by CSHL Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Derived from the acclaimed online “WormAtlas,†C. elegansAtlas is a large-format, full-color atlas of the hermaphroditic form of the model organism C. elegans, known affectionately as “the worm†by workers in the field. Prepared by the editors of the WormAtlas Consortium, David H. Hall and Zeynep F. Altun, this book combines explanatory text with copious, labeled, color illustrations and electron micrographs of the major body systems of C. elegans. Also included are electron microscopy cross sections of the worm. This laboratory reference is essential for the working worm biologist, at the bench and at the microscope, and provides a superb companion to the C. elegansII monograph. It is also a valuable tool for investigators in the fields of developmental biology, neurobiology, reproductive biology, gene expression, and molecular biology.
Download or read book Multiple Mechanisms Contribute to Regulation of Gene Expression in the C Elegans Excretory System written by Kristin R. Armstrong and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 123 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abstract: Gene regulation is controlled by multiple mechanisms that function at levels ranging from genome-wide to gene-specific. Understanding the mechanisms of gene regulation at all levels is important for discerning proper organ development and function as well as interpreting the changes that occur in mutant organs, which lead to defects and diseases. To better understand the mechanisms functioning at different levels of gene regulation in organ development and function, I studied the role of the environment, chromatin remodeling, and gene-specific transcriptional regulation on the C. elegans excretory system, which is similar to mammalian kidneys. Class III POU-homeobox transcription factors are expressed in the renal organs of species from C. elegans to mammals. However, the functional role for these factors in renal organs is not well characterized. In this dissertation, I studied the role of the C. elegans POU-III transcription factor, CEH-6, in the excretory cell to address this question. I performed molecular and biochemical studies, which show CEH-6 regulates a subset of genes expressed in the excretory cell. This work suggests that a role for POU-III factors in renal organs may be to modulate the expression of functionally related genes. Chromatin structure also influences the accessibility of transcription factors to target genes, and thereby is important for gene expression. In this study, I show LEX-1 and TAM-1 function to attenuate transgene silencing in somatic tissue by acting regionally as part of a complex that broadly regulates expression of genes in repetitive DNA. Additionally, environmental cues can play a role in regulating gene expression. Previous work by other labs has shown dauer larvae exhibit an increased osmotic tolerance, suggesting the excretory system may be altered. I was interested in understanding the biological changes responsible so I characterized the excretory system anatomy in dauer larvae. I found an altered morphology and the positional alignment of the excretory duct cell and excretory cell in dauer larvae, which may be related to the increased osmotic tolerance. Together, the results from these studies support the idea that organisms integrate information from multiple levels and mechanisms of regulation in order to direct their development and function.
