Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans secretes a complex cocktail of small chemicals collectively called ascaroside pheromones which serves as a chemical language for intra-species communication. Subsets of ascarosides have been shown to mediate a broad spectrum of C. elegans behavior and development, such as gender-specific attraction, repulsion, aggregation, olfactory plasticity, and dauer formation. Recent studies show that specific components of ascarosides elicit a rapid avoidance response that allows animals to avoid predators and escape from unfavorable conditions. Moreover, this avoidance behavior is modulated by external conditions, internal states, and previous experience, indicating that pheromone avoidance behavior is highly plastic. In this review, we describe molecular and circuit mechanisms underlying plasticity in pheromone avoidance behavior which pave a way to better understanding circuit mechanisms underlying behavioral plasticity in higher animals, including humans.

摘要

秀丽隐杆线虫分泌一种复杂的小化学物质混合物，总称为scar虫苷信息素，作为种内交流的化学语言。a虫苷的子集已被证明可介导广泛的秀丽隐杆线虫行为和发展，例如特定性别的吸引力，排斥，聚集，嗅觉可塑性和道尔形成。最近的研究表明，a虫甙的特定成分引起了快速的回避反应，使动物能够避开捕食者并逃脱不利条件。此外，这种回避行为受到外部条件，内部状态和先前经验的调节，表明信息素回避行为具有很高的可塑性。在这篇综述中，我们描述了信息素规避行为可塑性的分子和电路机制，为更好地理解包括人类在内的高等动物行为可塑性的电路机制铺平了道路。