A conserved dopamine-cholecystokinin signaling pathway shapes context-dependent Caenorhabditis elegans behavior

• Published in: PLoS genetics Vol. 10; no. 8; p. e1004584
• Main Authors: Bhattacharya, Raja, Touroutine, Denis, Barbagallo, Belinda, Climer, Jason, Lambert, Christopher M, Clark, Christopher M, Alkema, Mark J, Francis, Michael M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01.08.2014; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Animal behavior; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Biology and Life Sciences; Caenorhabditis elegans; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - metabolism; Cholecystokinin; Cholecystokinin - genetics; Cholecystokinin - metabolism; Dopamine; Dopamine - genetics; Dopamine - metabolism; Dopamine receptors; Dopaminergic Neurons; Food; Foraging behavior; Genetic aspects; Genetic engineering; Health aspects; Mutation; Nematodes; Neurons; Neuropeptides; Phenols; Physiological aspects; Receptors, Dopamine; Receptors, Dopamine D1 - genetics; Receptors, Dopamine D1 - metabolism; Rodents; Signal Transduction - genetics; Studies; Synaptic Transmission

An organism's ability to thrive in changing environmental conditions requires the capacity for making flexible behavioral responses. Here we show that, in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, foraging responses to changes in food availability require nlp-12, a homolog of the mammalian neuropept...