QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

HOME  |   SEARCH  |   ARCHIVE  |   SUBSCRIBE  |   CONTACT  |   HELP

The Journal of Neuroscience, February 4, 2004, 24(5):1217-1225; doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1569-03.2004

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit an eLetter Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (54) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hills, T. Articles by Maricq, A. V. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hills, T. Articles by Maricq, A. V.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Cellular/Molecular
Dopamine and Glutamate Control Area-Restricted Search Behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans

Thomas Hills, Penelope J. Brockie, and Andres V. Maricq

Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0840

Area-restricted search (ARS) is a foraging strategy used by many animals to locate resources. The behavior is characterized by a time-dependent reduction in turning frequency after the last resource encounter. This maximizes the time spent in areas in which resources are abundant and extends the search to a larger area when resources become scarce. We demonstrate that dopaminergic and glutamatergic signaling contribute to the neural circuit controlling ARS in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Ablation of dopaminergic neurons eliminated ARS behavior, as did application of the dopamine receptor antagonist raclopride. Furthermore, ARS was affected by mutations in the glutamate receptor subunits GLR-1 and GLR-2 and the EAT-4 glutamate vesicular transporter. Interestingly, preincubation on dopamine restored the behavior in worms with defective dopaminergic signaling, but not in glr-1, glr-2, or eat-4 mutants. This suggests that dopaminergic and glutamatergic signaling function in the same pathway to regulate turn frequency. Both GLR-1 and GLR-2 are expressed in the locomotory control circuit that modulates the direction of locomotion in response to sensory stimuli and the duration of forward movement during foraging. We propose a mechanism for ARS in C. elegans in which dopamine, released in response to food, modulates glutamatergic signaling in the locomotory control circuit, thus resulting in an increased turn frequency.

Key words: glutamate receptor; dopaminergic signaling; area-restricted search; locomotion; neural circuit; Caenorhabditis elegans; glr-1; glr-2; eat-4; cat-2

---

Received June 23, 2003; revised November 25, 2003; accepted December 8, 2003.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				N. Srivastava, D. A. Clark, and A. D.T. Samuel Temporal Analysis of Stochastic Turning Behavior of Swimming C. elegans J Neurophysiol, August 1, 2009; 102(2): 1172 - 1179. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. M. Gaglia and C. Kenyon Stimulation of Movement in a Quiescent, Hibernation-Like Form of Caenorhabditis elegans by Dopamine Signaling J. Neurosci., June 3, 2009; 29(22): 7302 - 7314. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. C. K. Leung, P. L. Williams, A. Benedetto, C. Au, K. J. Helmcke, M. Aschner, and J. N. Meyer Caenorhabditis elegans: An Emerging Model in Biomedical and Environmental Toxicology Toxicol. Sci., November 1, 2008; 106(1): 5 - 28. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. S. Dittman and J. M. Kaplan Behavioral Impact of Neurotransmitter-Activated G-Protein-Coupled Receptors: Muscarinic and GABAB Receptors Regulate Caenorhabditis elegans Locomotion J. Neurosci., July 9, 2008; 28(28): 7104 - 7112. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. G. Bendena, J. R. Boudreau, T. Papanicolaou, M. Maltby, S. S. Tobe, and I. D. Chin-Sang A Caenorhabditis elegans allatostatin/galanin-like receptor NPR-9 inhibits local search behavior in response to feeding cues PNAS, January 29, 2008; 105(4): 1339 - 1342. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. A. Chi, D. A. Clark, S. Lee, D. Biron, L. Luo, C. V. Gabel, J. Brown, P. Sengupta, and A. D. T. Samuel Temperature and food mediate long-term thermotactic behavioral plasticity by association-independent mechanisms in C. elegans J. Exp. Biol., November 15, 2007; 210(22): 4043 - 4052. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. P. Mullen, E. A. Mathews, M. H. Vu, J. W. Hunter, D. L. Frisby, A. Duke, K. Grundahl, J. D. Osborne, J. A. Crowell, and J. B. Rand Choline Transport and de novo Choline Synthesis Support Acetylcholine Biosynthesis in Caenorhabditis elegans Cholinergic Neurons Genetics, September 1, 2007; 177(1): 195 - 204. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Suo, Y. Kimura, and H. H. M. Van Tol Starvation Induces cAMP Response Element-Binding Protein-Dependent Gene Expression through Octopamine-Gq Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans J. Neurosci., October 4, 2006; 26(40): 10082 - 10090. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. B. Shtonda and L. Avery Dietary choice behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans J. Exp. Biol., January 1, 2006; 209(1): 89 - 102. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. C. Miller, T. R. Thiele, S. Faumont, M. L. Moravec, and S. R. Lockery Step-Response Analysis of Chemotaxis in Caenorhabditis elegans J. Neurosci., March 30, 2005; 25(13): 3369 - 3378. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. Gray, J. J. Hill, and C. I. Bargmann Inaugural Article: A circuit for navigation in Caenorhabditis elegans PNAS, March 1, 2005; 102(9): 3184 - 3191. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home  |   Search  |   Archive  |   Subscribe  |   Contact  |   Help