The Regulatory Function Of The CEPsh And OLso Glia In The Nervous System And The Underlying Molecular And Cellular Mechanisms

Caenorhabditis elegans is a classic model organism with fast genetic manipulation. C. elegans has a simple but relatively complete nervous system and behaviors. Thus the nematode is an ideal animal model for the study of the neuronal development and function and circuit mechanisms. C. elegans glial cells are vital for the development of neurons. However, how they are involved in the modulation of neural function remains largly unkown. In this study, we constructed a series of transgenic nematode strains by microinjection and In-fusion technology. By calcium imaging and electrophysiological experiments, we found that OL socket glial cell (OLso) can respond to mechanical stimulation, and this response is independent of its associated neurons OLQ. These observations suggest that OLso glial cells may directly sense mechanical stimulation. We found that transgenic expression of a specific Cephalic sheath glia (CEPsh) promoter Phlh-17 causes curl behavioral phenotype, which indicates that the activity of the CEPsh glial cells is essential for the motor behavior of the nematode. Through EMS mutagenesis, we screened a number of lines with reduced curly phenotype to study why Phlh-17 expression affects the CEPsh activity. We also aimed to reveal how the CEPsh glial cells regulate the motor behavior of the nematodes. In this study, we have established a system for the study of the function of the glial cells in neural function and behaviors in vivo, which lays the foundation for the further elucidation of the function of the glial cells and gliatransmitters.