Caenorhabditis elegans glia modulate neuronal activity and behavior

Glial cells of Caenorhabditis elegans can modulate neuronal activity and behavior, which is the focus of this review. Initially, we provide an overview of neuroglial evolution, making a comparison between C. elegans glia and their genealogical counterparts. What follows is a brief discussion on C. e...

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Published inFrontiers in cellular neuroscience Vol. 8; p. 67
Main Authors Stout, Jr, Randy F, Verkhratsky, Alexei, Parpura, Vladimir
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland Frontiers Research Foundation 14.03.2014
Frontiers Media S.A
Subjects
Behavior
Brain research
Caenorhabditis elegans
Ectoderm
Evolution
Gene expression
glia
Glial cells
invertebrate
Invertebrates
Mammals
Mesoderm
Microscopy
Morphology
Nematodes
Nervous system
Neuronal-glial interactions
Neurons
Neuroscience
Neurosciences
Sense organs
Worms
United Kingdom > UK
United States > US
Spain
Caenorhabditis elegans
evolution
invertebrate
behavior
glia
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Summary:Glial cells of Caenorhabditis elegans can modulate neuronal activity and behavior, which is the focus of this review. Initially, we provide an overview of neuroglial evolution, making a comparison between C. elegans glia and their genealogical counterparts. What follows is a brief discussion on C. elegans glia characteristics in terms of their exact numbers, germ layers origin, their necessity for proper development of sensory organs, and lack of their need for neuronal survival. The more specific roles that various glial cells have on neuron-based activity/behavior are succinctly presented. The cephalic sheath glia are important for development, maintenance and activity of central synapses, whereas the amphid glia seem to set the tone of sensory synapses; these glial cell types are ectoderm-derived. Mesoderm-derived Glial-Like cells in the nerve Ring (GLRs) appear to be a part of the circuit for production of motor movement of the worm anterior. Finally, we discuss tools and approaches utilized in studying C. elegans glia, which are assets available for this animal, making it an appealing model, not only in neurosciences, but in biology in general.
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This article was submitted to the journal Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.
Edited by: Tycho M. Hoogland, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Netherlands
Reviewed by: Bernd Kuhn, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Japan; Ping Liu, University of Connecticut Health Center, USA
ISSN:1662-5102
1662-5102
DOI:10.3389/fncel.2014.00067