EGL-19 and EXP-2 Ion Channels Modelling within C. Elegans Pharyngeal Muscle Cell Allows Reproduction of CA2+ Driven Action Potentials, Both Single Events and Trains

Abstract

One of the current problems at the interface between neuroscience, biophysics, and computational modeling is the reverse-engineering and reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans using computer simulation. The aim of our research was to develop the computational models and techniques for solving this problem while participating in the international open science OpenWorm Project. We have suggested models of a typical C. elegans neuron and a pharyngeal muscle cell, which were constructed and optimized using the NEURON simulation environment. The available experimental data about EGL-19 and EXP-2 ion channels allowed the model of a muscle to reproduce the action potential time profile correctly. Also, the model of a neuron reproduces quite accurately the mechanism of neural signal transmission based on passive propagation. We believe our models to be promising for better representing the specifics of various nervous and muscular cell classes when adding the corresponding ion channel models. Moreover, they can be used to construct the networks of such elements.

Deciphering the underlying mechanisms of the pharyngeal pumping motions in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…Other models of the pm’s (e.g., refs. 21 , 42 , and 43 ) did not find such Na + dependency since the Ca 2+ currents were modeled as linear ohmic currents rather than using the more appropriate, nonlinear Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz equation, which we used. Permeability of C. elegans CCA-1 channels to Na + was already suggested by Senatore et al ( 44 ), while previous studies could not determine whether these channels were selective for Ca 2+ alone ( 16 , 30 ).…”