Large-Scale Gravitaxis Assay of &lt;em&gt;Caenorhabditis&lt;/em&gt; Dauer Larvae

Ackley, Caroline R.; Washiashi, Lindsey; Krishnamurthy, Ruchira; Rothman, Joel H.

doi:10.3791/64062

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The reduced ability of N2 dauers to exhibit negative gravitaxis compared to that observed with C. japonica dauers, might be an outcome of myriad adaptations to laboratory cultivation, as has been observed for several other traits, including social feeding, egg laying behavior, oxygen tolerance, and nictation 11,14,15,[72][73][74] . We found that negative gravitactic behavior, albeit weakened, occurs in the LSJ1 sister strain, which has been raised in liquid media over many decades, and is also observed in C. briggsae 75 . It remains an open question as to whether these strains show negative gravitaxis when shielded from light and EMF when swimming in liquid rather than crawling on solid media.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

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Mechanosensory Systems and Sensory Integration Mediate C. elegans Negative Gravitaxis

Ackley

Kajbaf

Washiashi

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The ability to sense Earth’s gravitational pull is essential for orientation, navigation, and proprioception in most organisms. Here, we demonstrate that C. elegans adults and dauers exhibit negative gravitaxis and that this behavior is modulated by other environmental inputs such as light and electromagnetic fields. We found that components of the DEG/ENaC pathway involved in gentle touch sensation – specifically the neuronally-enriched microtubule subunits MEC-7 and MEC-12, but not the related MEC-4 and MEC-10 mechanosensory subunits – are required for negative gravitaxis. In addition, we found that TRPA-1, a receptor protein associated with cold and mechanosensation in both mammals and invertebrates, is critical for this behavior. Finally, we show that PVD neurons, which utilize TRPA-1 to detect harsh cold, are also essential for gravity sensation. Conversely, TRNs are not required for this behavior. These findings implicate a complex, interconnected mechanism for gravity sensation involving an ion channel that is also present in the mammalian vestibular system.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Gravitaxis assay chambers were created using 5 mL serological pipettes and 4% NGM agar as described previously 75 . To assemble each chamber, a heated blade was used to cut the tapered end of one pipette and the cotton plug was removed from the end of a second pipette.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanosensory Systems and Sensory Integration Mediate C. elegans Negative Gravitaxis

Ackley

Kajbaf

Washiashi

et al. 2022

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…By contrast, SAMPL measures behavior in a volume and is well-suited to the study of newly discovered behaviors that are only expressed in 3D environments. One such example is gravitaxis, where C. elegans display both positive 64 and negative gravitaxis 65 , underscoring the need for additional pipelines to test behavior 66 . The new data we present here establishes that SAMPL offers a powerful complement to existing pipelines for C. elegans assays of behavior in 3D.…”

Section: Sampl For Measuring C Elegans Behaviormentioning

confidence: 99%

Scalable Apparatus to Measure Posture and Locomotion (SAMPL): a high-throughput solution to study unconstrained vertical behavior in small animals

Zhu

Auer

Gelnaw

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Balance and movement are impaired in a wide variety of neurological disorders. Recent advances in behavioral monitoring provide unprecedented access to posture and locomotor kinematics, but without the throughput and scalability necessary to screen candidate genes / potential therapeutics. We present a powerful solution: a Scalable Apparatus to Measure Posture and Locomotion (SAMPL). SAMPL includes extensible imaging hardware and low-cost open-source acquisition software with real-time processing. We first demonstrate that SAMPL's hardware and acquisition software can acquire data from three species (flies, worms, and zebrafish) as they move vertically. Next, we leverage SAMPL's throughput to rapidly (two weeks) gather a new zebrafish dataset. We use SAMPL's analysis and visualization tools to replicate and extend our current understanding of how zebrafish balance as they navigate through a vertical environment. Next, we discover (1) that key kinematic parameters vary systematically with genetic background, and (2) that such background variation is small relative to the changes that accompany early development. Finally, we simulate SAMPL's ability to resolve differences in posture or vertical navigation as a function of affect size and data gathered -- key data for screens. Taken together, our apparatus, data, and analysis provide a powerful solution for labs using small animals to investigate balance and locomotor disorders at scale. More broadly, SAMPL is both an adaptable resource for labs looking process videographic measures of behavior in real-time, and an exemplar of how to scale hardware to enable the throughput necessary for screening.

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Large-Scale Gravitaxis Assay of <em>Caenorhabditis</em> Dauer Larvae

Cited by 2 publications

References 34 publications

Mechanosensory Systems and Sensory Integration Mediate C. elegans Negative Gravitaxis

Mechanosensory Systems and Sensory Integration Mediate C. elegans Negative Gravitaxis

Scalable Apparatus to Measure Posture and Locomotion (SAMPL): a high-throughput solution to study unconstrained vertical behavior in small animals

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