Cockroaches keep predators guessing by using preferred escape trajectories

Domenici, Paolo; Booth, David T.; Blagburn, Jonathan M.; Bacon, Jonathan P.

doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.04.300

Cited by 34 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…5A and B) (Domenici et al, 2008). The escape trajectory (ET) is a circular distribution and allows the detection of multiple modes using circular statistics (Domenici and Blake, 1993; Domenici, 2002).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus wind directions spanned 0°-180°, where head-on stimuli were designated as 0° and posterior stimuli corresponded to 180°. Escape turn angles were defined as the angle between the direction of motion at the end of the turning component of the escape and the initial heading of the animal (Domenici et al, 2008). Escape trajectories (ETs) were defined as the angle between the escape turn and the direction of the stimulus.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Statistical tests on circular data were carried out using Oriana 2 (Kovach Computing Services, Anglesey, UK) as previously described (Domenici et al, 2008). Curves based on mixtures of multiple Gaussian distributions, with the constraints of the same standard deviation and equal peak spacing, were fitted to unbinned ET data using the maximum likelihood method [ mle program: Darryl Holman, University of Washington, Seattle (Holman, 2003)].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The probability of selecting a particular ET is influenced by wind direction (Domenici et al, 2008). In this present paper we show that En knockout significantly perturbs the animals' perception of posterior wind.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Transcriptional Control of Behavior: Engrailed Knock-Out Changes Cockroach Escape Trajectories

Booth¹,

Marie²,

Domenici³

et al. 2009

J. Neurosci.

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The cerci of the cockroach are covered with identified sensory hairs that detect air movements. The sensory neurons that innervate these hairs synapse with giant interneurons in the terminal ganglion that in turn synapse with interneurons and leg motor neurons in thoracic ganglia. This neural circuit mediates the animal's escape behavior. The transcription factor Engrailed (En) is expressed only in the medially born sensory neurons, which suggested that it could work as a positional determinant of sensory neuron identity. Previously, we used double-stranded RNA interference to abolish En expression and found that the axonal arborization and synaptic outputs of an identified En-positive sensory neuron changed so that it came to resemble a nearby En-negative cell, which was itself unaffected. We thus demonstrated directly that En controls synaptic choice, as well as axon projections. Is escape behavior affected as a result of this miswiring? We showed recently that adult cockroaches keep each escape unpredictable by running along one of a set of preferred escape trajectories (ETs) at fixed angles from the direction of the threatening stimulus. The probability of selecting a particular ET is influenced by wind direction. In this present study, we show that early instar juvenile cockroaches also use those same ETs. En knock-out significantly perturbs the animals' perception of posterior wind, altering the choice of ETs to one more appropriate for anterior wind. This is the first time that it has been shown that knock-out of a transcription factor controlling synaptic connectivity can alter the perception of a directional stimulus.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Transcriptional Control of Behavior: Engrailed Knock-Out Changes Cockroach Escape Trajectories

Booth¹,

Marie²,

Domenici³

et al. 2009

J. Neurosci.

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show abstract

“…Professor Bacon described experiments where the transcription factor Engrail (En), which is expressed in certain sensory neurons, was abolished using RNAi (Booth et al 2009;Domenici et al 2008). The axonal arborization of these En-expressing neurons is reduced and they resemble the arborization of neurons where En is not expressed.…”

mentioning

confidence: 98%