| Title: | Pheromones Modulate Learning by Regulating the Balanced Signals of Two Insulin-like Peptides |
| Author(s): | Wu T; Duan F; Yang W; Liu H; Caballero A; Fernandes de Abreu DA; Dar AR; Alcedo J; Ch'ng Q; Butcher RA; Zhang Y; |
| Address: | "Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE1 1UL, UK. Department of Chemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA. Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Center for Brain Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Electronic address: yzhang@oeb.harvard.edu" |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.006 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1097-4199 (Electronic) 0896-6273 (Print) 0896-6273 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Social environment modulates learning through unknown mechanisms. Here, we report that a pheromone mixture that signals overcrowding inhibits C. elegans from learning to avoid pathogenic bacteria. We find that learning depends on the balanced signaling of two insulin-like peptides (ILPs), INS-16 and INS-4, which act respectively in the pheromone-sensing neuron ADL and the bacteria-sensing neuron AWA. Pheromone exposure inhibits learning by disrupting this balance: it activates ADL and increases expression of ins-16, and this cellular effect reduces AWA activity and AWA-expressed ins-4. The activities of the sensory neurons are required for learning and the expression of the ILPs. Interestingly, pheromones also promote the ingestion of pathogenic bacteria while increasing resistance to the pathogen. Thus, the balance of the ILP signals integrates social information into the learning process as part of a coordinated adaptive response that allows consumption of harmful food during times of high population density" |
| Keywords: | Animals Caenorhabditis elegans Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins/*metabolism Feeding Behavior/physiology Insulins/*metabolism Learning/*physiology Pheromones/*metabolism Sensory Receptor Cells/physiology Signal Transduction/physiology high population densit; |
| Notes: | "MedlineWu, Taihong Duan, Fengyun Yang, Wenxing Liu, He Caballero, Antonio Fernandes de Abreu, Diana Andrea Dar, Abdul Rouf Alcedo, Joy Ch'ng, QueeLim Butcher, Rebecca A Zhang, Yun eng R01 DC009852/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/ R01 GM118775/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ P01 GM103770/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ R01 GM108962/GM/NIGMS NIH HHS/ P40 OD010440/OD/NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't 2019/11/05 Neuron. 2019 Dec 18; 104(6):1095-1109.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.006. Epub 2019 Oct 29" |
