The molecular map of Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system
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1
ULB Neuroscience Institute, Free University of Brussels, Belgium
The whole transcriptome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Ce) was recently sequenced at the single-cell resolution. The dataset allows clustering methods to define the molecular profile of each neuronal type. Through a bioinformatic process, each predicted expression profile can be assigned to specific neuronal identities. At the sequenced Ce L2 larval stage, the expected number of neuronal identities is about 100. Our bioinformatics pipeline produced gene expression lists for 90 neuronal types, including ~30 identified neuronal identities. Our first aim will be to confirm these predictions using promoter::mKate strains, smFISH and RNA sequencing after FACS. Our laboratory commonly uses a large set of genetic tools to manipulate/record Ce neurons. However, many neurons of Ce are not yet explored because of the lack of specific promoters to manipulate them. Our second aim will be to define new promoters to target genetic and optogenetic tools to the unexplored neurons and investigate on their functions. Our third aim will be to explore the gene expression lists to assign neurotransmitters, neuropeptides, ion channels and GPCRs to each identified neuronal identity. These findings will help us to build neuromodulation networks in addition to the known physical network, allowing us to design hypothesis-driven experiments. Altogether, our project will offer a large number of new neuron-specific promoters to the Ce community. New transgenic strains using promoter-optogenetic tools will help us to discover the physiological functions of neurons (about 30% of the network is understudied). So far, the Ce neuronal network is the only network where the full molecular characterization is achievable because of the known physical network. Our project will help us to build the first molecular model of the Ce nervous system, including synaptic classification and new neuromodulation networks.
Keywords:
C. elegans,
Single Cell RNA sequencing,
Neurophysiology,
neuronal network,
Molecular Biology
Conference:
13th National Congress of the Belgian Society for Neuroscience , Brussels, Belgium, 24 May - 24 May, 2019.
Presentation Type:
Poster presentation
Topic:
Cellular/Molecular Neuroscience
Citation:
Onizuka
M and
Laurent
P
(2019). The molecular map of Caenorhabditis elegans nervous system.
Front. Neurosci.
Conference Abstract:
13th National Congress of the Belgian Society for Neuroscience .
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnins.2019.96.00039
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Received:
24 Apr 2019;
Published Online:
27 Sep 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Mx. Michiho Onizuka, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Brussels, 1050, Belgium, michiho.onizuka@gmail.com
PhD. Patrick Laurent, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Brussels, 1050, Belgium, patrick.laurent@ulb.ac.be