Neurobiology of Caenorhabditis elegans Locomotion: Where Do We Stand?
نویسندگان
چکیده
Animals use a nervous system for locomotion in some stage of their life cycle. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a major animal model for almost all fields of experimental biology, has long been used for detailed studies of genetic and physiological locomotion mechanisms. Of its 959 somatic cells, 302 are neurons that are identifiable by lineage, location, morphology, and neurochemistry in every adult hermaphrodite. Of those, 75 motoneurons innervate body wall muscles that provide the thrust during locomotion. In this Overview, we concentrate on the generation of either forward- or backward-directed motion during crawling and swimming. We describe locomotion behavior, the parts constituting the locomotion system, and the relevant neuronal connectivity. Because it is not yet fully understood how these components combine to generate locomotion, we discuss competing hypotheses and models.
منابع مشابه
A Biologically Accurate Simulation of the Locomotion of Caenorhabditis elegans
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model organism for many areas of biological research including genetics, development, and neurobiology. It is the first organism to have its genome sequenced, complete cell ontogeny determined, and nervous system mapped. With all of the information that is available on this simple organism, C. elegans may also become the first organism to be a...
متن کاملQuantifying the Accuracy of C. elegans Image Analysis
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model organism for many areas of biological research including genetics, development, and neurobiology. A common technique used in studying the locomotion of the worm is to take video of the worm in motion and analyze it to extract relevant data. A number of different software solutions exist to analyze these videos, yet there is no technique ...
متن کاملC. elegans locomotion: small circuits, complex functions.
With 302 neurons in the adult Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system, it should be possible to build models of complex behaviors spanning sensory input to motor output. The logic of the motor circuit is an essential component of such models. Advances in physiological, anatomical, and neurogenetic analysis are revealing a surprisingly complex signaling network in the worm's small motor circuit. W...
متن کاملTransport, Localization and Separation of Caenorhabditis Elegans Using Electrotaxis for Movement Based Behavioral Assays in Drug Discovery
Electric field-induced locomotion and transport of worms Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) in a microfluidic device (electrotaxis) is demonstrated in this paper. Direct (DC) and alternating (AC) electric fields inside a microchannel were used to stimulate worms locomotion towards the negative pole and to halt their locomotion while localizing them at desired locations in the channel respectiv...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
عنوان ژورنال:
دوره 64 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2014