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Resources » Paper

Filipowicz, Adam et al. (2019) International Worm Meeting "Regulation of early avoidance behavior in response to Gram-positive pathogens by tax-2 and npr-1 expressing neurons in C. elegans."

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  • Comments on Filipowicz, Adam et al. (2019) International Worm Meeting "Regulation of early avoidance behavior in response to Gram-positive pathogens by tax-2 and npr-1 expressing neurons in C. elegans." (0)

  • Overview

    Status:
    Publication type:
    Meeting_abstract
    WormBase ID:
    WBPaper00058308

    Filipowicz, Adam, & Aballay, Alejandro (2019). Regulation of early avoidance behavior in response to Gram-positive pathogens by tax-2 and npr-1 expressing neurons in C. elegans presented in International Worm Meeting. Unpublished information; cite only with author permission.

    The use of C. elegans as a model for host-pathogen interactions is well established and has revealed a diverse set of sensory modalities that the worm engages in order to initiate protective behaviors including olfaction, aerotaxis, and mechano-sensation. Much focus has gone into understanding the learned aversion of the initially attractive Gram-negative P. aeruginosa. Gram-positive infections, most notably with Enterococcus species, have been described in the worm, though no report on the behavioral response to these pathogens exists. Using choice assays, we observed that Enterococcus species are initially not preferred over standard E. coli OP50. Further, the worm's behavioral response when presented with a single lawn of Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium, or S. aureus consists of two distinct phases of avoidance: an early (1-3hr) avoidance and a late avoidance behavior reminiscent of the response to P. aeruginosa. The early, but not late, avoidance was found to be NPR-1 and TAX-2/4 dependent. Rescuing expression of tax-2 in specific chemosensory neurons revealed that its expression in ASE neurons, known to play a role in chemotaxis and depleted-food leaving, is crucial for early avoidance of Gram-positive pathogens. Dissecting the neural circuitry further using genetically ablated neurons suggested that a synaptic partner of ASE neurons, the olfactory AWC neurons, also play a role in this early avoidance behavior, and may govern the initial preference in the choice assay. The lack of a role for NPR-1 in the late avoidance phase is surprising given its previously described role in avoidance using P. aeruginosa but reflects how different sensory pathways are engaged in response to varying environmental situations. Overall, the relatively fast avoidance of Gram-positive bacterial species by the worm provides a useful model to uncover elements of microbial cue sensation and to elucidate how that information is integrated to initiate protective behaviors.

    Affiliation:
    - Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Oregon Health and Science University, PORTLAND, OR


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