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Resources » Paper

Chung, Kevin et al. (2015) International Worm Meeting "The neuronal basis of bacterial food odor preference."

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    Status:
    Publication type:
    Meeting_abstract
    WormBase ID:
    WBPaper00047805

    Chung, Kevin, Haynes, Lillian, Kan, Emily, Ota, Ryan, Chambers, Melissa, & Glater, Elizabeth (2015). The neuronal basis of bacterial food odor preference presented in International Worm Meeting. Unpublished information; cite only with author permission.

    Caenorhabditis elegans uses chemosensation to distinguish among various species of bacteria, their major food source 1-3. Although the neurons required for the detection of specific food-odors have been well-defined, less is known about the sensory circuits underlying the discrimination among the mixtures of odors released by different kinds of bacteria. We are examining the neural machinery underlying bacterial preference among a diverse set of bacterial species. Specifically, we are testing the food preferences of C. elegans for bacteria found in their natural habitats (kindly provided by Marie-Anne Felix, Institute of Biology of Ecole Normale Superieure, Paris, France). We have found that C. elegans prefers the odors of most species tested over E. coli. We have identified that the olfactory neuron AWC is involved in many preferences. We also find that some bacterial choices involve multiple sensory neurons with opposing roles. For example, in one choice in which wild-type animals prefer Providencia sp. (JUb39) over E. coli, the AWC neuron appears to be involved in increased preference for Providencia and the AWA neuron in increased preference for E. coli. In the future we will extend our analysis to additional bacterial species to determine the diversity of the underlying neuronal mechanisms.1. Harris, G. et al. Dissecting the Signaling Mechanisms Underlying Recognition and Preference of Food Odors. J. Neurosci. 34, 9389-9403 (2014).2. Ha, H. et al. Functional Organization of a Neural Network for Aversive Olfactory Learning in Caenorhabditis elegans. Neuron 68, 1173-1186 (2010).3. Shtonda, B. B. & Avery, L. Dietary choice behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. J. Exp. Biol. 209, 89-102 (2006).

    Affiliation:
    - Department of Neuroscience, Pomona College, Claremont, CA


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