Genetic variants that modify neuroendocrine gene expression and foraging behavior of C. elegans

• Published in: Science advances 2024-06, Vol.10 (24), p.eadk9481
• Main Authors: Lee, Harksun, Boor, Sonia A, Hilbert, Zoë A, Meisel, Joshua D, Park, Jaeseok, Wang, Ye, McKeown, Ryan, Fischer, Sylvia E J, Andersen, Erik C, Kim, Dennis H
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Behavior, Animal - physiology; Caenorhabditis elegans - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - metabolism; Feeding Behavior; Gene Expression Regulation; Genetic Variation; Neurons - metabolism; Neuroscience; Neurosecretory Systems - metabolism; SciAdv r-articles; Signal Transduction; Transforming Growth Factor beta
• ISSN: 2375-2548; 2375-2548
• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adk9481

The molecular mechanisms underlying diversity in animal behavior are not well understood. A major experimental challenge is determining the contribution of genetic variants that affect neuronal gene expression to differences in behavioral traits. In , the neuroendocrine transforming growth factor-β ligand, DAF-7, regulates diverse behavioral responses to bacterial food and pathogens. The dynamic neuron-specific expression of is modulated by environmental and endogenous bacteria-derived cues. Here, we investigated natural variation in the expression of from the ASJ pair of chemosensory neurons. We identified common genetic variants in , encoding a Ras guanosine triphosphatase (GTPase)-activating protein homologous to mammalian synaptic Ras GTPase-activating protein, which modify expression cell nonautonomously and promote exploratory foraging behavior in a partially DAF-7-dependent manner. Our data connect natural variation in neuron-specific gene expression to differences in behavior and suggest that genetic variation in neuroendocrine signaling pathways mediating host-microbe interactions may give rise to diversity in animal behavior.