GCY-20 signaling controls suppression of Caenorhabditis elegans egg laying by moderate cold
Rong Li,
Yu Xu,
Xin Wen,
Yuan-Hua Chen,
Ping-Zhou Wang,
Jia-Lu Zhao,
Piao-Ping Wu,
Jing-Jing Wu,
Hui Liu,
Jia-Hao Huang,
Si-Jia Li,
Zheng-Xing Wu
Affiliations
Rong Li
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Yu Xu
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Xin Wen
College of Life Science, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
Yuan-Hua Chen
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Ping-Zhou Wang
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Jia-Lu Zhao
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Piao-Ping Wu
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Jing-Jing Wu
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Hui Liu
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Jia-Hao Huang
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Si-Jia Li
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
Zheng-Xing Wu
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, Institute of Biophysics and Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Organisms sensing environmental cues and internal states and integrating the sensory information to control fecundity are essential for survival and proliferation. The present study finds that a moderate cold temperature of 11°C reduces egg laying in Caenorhabditis elegans. ASEL and AWC neurons sense the cold via GCY-20 signaling and act antagonistically on egg laying through the ASEL and AWC/AIA/HSN circuits. Upon cold stimulation, ASEL and AWC release glutamate to activate and inhibit AIA interneurons by acting on highly and lowly sensitive ionotropic GLR-2 and GLC-3 receptors, respectively. AIA inhibits HSN motor neuron activity via acetylcholinergic ACR-14 receptor signaling and suppresses egg laying. Thus, ASEL and AWC initiate and reduce the cold suppression of egg laying. ASEL’s action on AIA and egg laying dominates AWC’s action. The biased opposite actions of these neurons on egg laying provide animals with a precise adaptation of reproductive behavior to environmental temperatures.
