CKR-1 orchestrates two motor states from a single motoneuron in C. elegans
Lili Chen,
Pan Su,
Ya Wang,
Yuting Liu,
Li-Ming Chen,
Shangbang Gao
Affiliations
Lili Chen
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Pan Su
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Ya Wang
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Yuting Liu
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Li-Ming Chen
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China
Shangbang Gao
Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Neuromodulation is pivotal in modifying neuronal properties and motor states. CKR-1, a homolog of the cholecystokinin receptor, modulates robust escape steering and undulation body bending in C. elegans. Nevertheless, the mechanisms through which CKR-1 governs these motor states remain elusive. We elucidate the head motoneuron SMD as the orchestrator of both motor states. This regulation involves two neuropeptides: NLP-12 from DVA enhances undulation body curvature, while NLP-18 from ASI amplifies Ω-turn head curvature. Moreover, synthetic NLP-12 and NLP-18 peptides elicit CKR-1-dependent currents in Xenopus oocytes and Ca2+ transients in SMD neurons. Notably, CKR-1 shows higher sensitivity to NLP-18 compared to NLP-12. In situ patch-clamp recordings reveal CKR-1, NLP-12, and NLP-18 are not essential for neurotransmission at C. elegans neuromuscular junction, suggesting that SMD independently regulates head and body bending. Our studies illustrate that a single motoneuron SMD utilizes a cholecystokinin receptor CKR-1 to integrate two motor states.
