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Elife

Title:		Male pheromones modulate synaptic transmission at the C. elegans neuromuscular junction in a sexually dimorphic manner
Author(s):		Qian KY; Zeng WX; Hao Y; Zeng XT; Liu H; Li L; Chen L; Tian FM; Chang C; Hall Q; Song CX; Gao S; Hu Z; Kaplan JM; Li Q; Tong XJ;
Address:		"School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai, China. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. Institute of Neuroscience, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China. Queensland Brain Institute, Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China. Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, United States. Department of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, United States. Center for Brain Science, Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai, China. Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China. Shanghai Research Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Shanghai, China"
Journal Title:		Elife
Year:		2021
Volume:		20210331
Issue:
Page Number:		-
DOI:		10.7554/eLife.67170
ISSN/ISBN:		2050-084X (Electronic) 2050-084X (Linking)
Abstract:		"The development of functional synapses in the nervous system is important for animal physiology and behaviors, and its disturbance has been linked with many neurodevelopmental disorders. The synaptic transmission efficacy can be modulated by the environment to accommodate external changes, which is crucial for animal reproduction and survival. However, the underlying plasticity of synaptic transmission remains poorly understood. Here we show that in Caenorhabditis elegans, the male environment increases the hermaphrodite cholinergic transmission at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), which alters hermaphrodites' locomotion velocity and mating efficiency. We identify that the male-specific pheromones mediate this synaptic transmission modulation effect in a developmental stage-dependent manner. Dissection of the sensory circuits reveals that the AWB chemosensory neurons sense those male pheromones and further transduce the information to NMJ using cGMP signaling. Exposure of hermaphrodites to the male pheromones specifically increases the accumulation of presynaptic CaV2 calcium channels and clustering of postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors at cholinergic synapses of NMJ, which potentiates cholinergic synaptic transmission. Thus, our study demonstrates a circuit mechanism for synaptic modulation and behavioral flexibility by sexual dimorphic pheromones"
Keywords:		Animals Caenorhabditis elegans/*physiology Female Male Neuromuscular Junction/physiology Pheromones/*metabolism Sex Factors *Synaptic Transmission C.elegans CaV2 calcium channel chemosensory neuron neuromuscular junction neuroscience pheromone sexual dim;neuroscience;
Notes:		"MedlineQian, Kang-Ying Zeng, Wan-Xin Hao, Yue Zeng, Xian-Ting Liu, Haowen Li, Lei Chen, Lili Tian, Fu-Min Chang, Cindy Hall, Qi Song, Chun-Xue Gao, Shangbang Hu, Zhitao Kaplan, Joshua M Li, Qian Tong, Xia-Jing eng 19JC1414100/Basic Research Project from the Science and Technology Commission/ 18PJ1407600/Shanghai Pujiang Program/ 17PJ1405400/Shanghai Pujiang Program/ 18JC1420302/Shanghai Brain-Intelligence Project from the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality/ QD2018017/Program for Special Appointment at Shanghai Institutions of Higher Learning/ NS32196/Innovative research team of high-level local universities in Shanghai, National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke/ R21 EY029450/EY/NEI NIH HHS/ APP1122351/National Health and Medical Research Council/ 31771154/National Natural Science Foundation of China/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2021/04/01 Elife. 2021 Mar 31; 10:e67170. doi: 10.7554/eLife.67170"