Though a neuron must be able to respond reliably to stimulation, it is equally important that it alters its response as a function of specific experiences. The molecular and cellular basis for this plasticity and how stimulus-specific changes in plasticity occurs is important to understand as it underlies both normal processes such as learning and memory as well as the disease states of addiction and depression. Our goal is to use the olfactory response of the genetically tractable nematode C. elegans to determine whether a small RNA regulatory pathway directs stimulus-specific neuronal plasticity. One means by which repeated stimulation alters neuronal responsiveness is via the changes in transcription elicited by epigenetic """"""""marks"""""""" such as DNA methylation and histone modification (reviewed in1). In S. pombe, plants and Drosophila, chromatin """"""""marks"""""""" have been shown to be directed by small RNAs2. These epigenetic changes are thought to regulate important developmental processes. Whether small RNAs can dynamically regulate epigenetic changes in neurons as a consequence of specific behaviors has not been examined. An attractive but completely untested hypothesis is that small RNAs might provide the guidance and specificity for epigenetic events that direct long-lasting changes in neuronal activity. As a first step towards testing this hypothesis, we asked whether genes required for RNA-interference (RNAi) might be required for neuronal plasticity in the anatomically simple but genetically powerful model organism, C. elegans. C. elegans is inherently attracted to specific odors which it senses using G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), however, its attraction is dampened if the odors are not accompanied by food. We term this experience-dependent dampening of the response to odor olfactory adaptation. The key """"""""switch"""""""" that turns on olfactory adaptation is the entry of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), EGL-4, into the nucleus of the odor-stimulated sensory olfactory neuron AWC (Lee et al., submitted). In our preliminary studies, we found that a specific class of small RNAs work with a gene encoding a chromatin associated protein, HPL-2, (a histone H3 lysine 9 tri-methyl binding protein), within the sensory neuron at the time of odor-exposure to promote adaptation. Both factors act downstream of EGL-4 nuclear entry and both factors act in the same genetic pathway for adaptation. Thus, our studies have raised the novel and exciting possibility that environmental stimuli can act via small RNAs to direct changes in chromatin. We propose to test this hypothesis by determining whether small RNAs and chromatin are central players in the adaptation process, how they function in adaptation and whether they can regulate transcription of candidate targets in response to prolonged odor-exposure. The significance of this work is that large scale epigenetic changes of the sort we are studying are found in models for addiction and depression (3,4). In the models of depression, these changes occur in the context of prolonged GPCR stimulation. How these changes occur, is unknown. Understanding the molecular details of the pathways by which neuronal stimulation is translated into chromatin marks is key to understanding these diseases.

Public Health Relevance

This project's aim is to understand how the newly discovered small RNA molecules work in the adult neuron as it responds to its ever-changing environment. We would like to know if they allow neurons to remain changeable. It is this changeability in response to new input that allows neurons to function. If they loose this plasticity or responsiveness, they are prone to degeneration. In fact, neurons in the brain of animals that are addicted to opiate type of drugs have lost their ability to respond properly;they have lost their plasticity. Thus, understanding how neurons remain plastic and responsive in the face of stimulation may shed light on both how neurons degenerate and how they loose responsiveness in the context of addiction. The role of small RNAs is just emerging from our work. We hope that understanding what these small yet potent RNA molecules are doing in neurons will lead to better understanding and perhaps intervention into both neurodegeneration and addiction.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01DC005991-06A2
Application #
8188328
Study Section
Neurodifferentiation, Plasticity, and Regeneration Study Section (NDPR)
Program Officer
Sullivan, Susan L
Project Start
2003-04-01
Project End
2012-06-30
Budget Start
2011-07-01
Budget End
2012-06-30
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$326,188
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Davis
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
047120084
City
Davis
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
95618
O'Halloran, Damien M; Altshuler-Keylin, Svetlana; Zhang, Xiao-Dong et al. (2017) Contribution of the cyclic nucleotide gated channel subunit, CNG-3, to olfactory plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sci Rep 7:169
Cho, Christine E; Brueggemann, Chantal; L'Etoile, Noelle D et al. (2016) Parallel encoding of sensory history and behavioral preference during Caenorhabditis elegans olfactory learning. Elife 5:
He, Chao; Altshuler-Keylin, Svetlana; Daniel, David et al. (2016) The cyclic nucleotide gated channel subunit CNG-1 instructs behavioral outputs in Caenorhabditis elegans by coincidence detection of nutritional status and olfactory input. Neurosci Lett 632:71-8
Juang, Bi-Tzen; Ludwig, Anna L; Benedetti, Kelli L et al. (2014) Expression of an expanded CGG-repeat RNA in a single pair of primary sensory neurons impairs olfactory adaptation in Caenorhabditis elegans. Hum Mol Genet 23:4945-59
Juang, Bi-Tzen; Gu, Chen; Starnes, Linda et al. (2013) Endogenous nuclear RNAi mediates behavioral adaptation to odor. Cell 154:1010-1022
Krzyzanowski, Michelle C; Brueggemann, Chantal; Ezak, Meredith J et al. (2013) The C. elegans cGMP-dependent protein kinase EGL-4 regulates nociceptive behavioral sensitivity. PLoS Genet 9:e1003619
O'Halloran, Damien M; Hamilton, O Scott; Lee, Jin I et al. (2012) Changes in cGMP levels affect the localization of EGL-4 in AWC in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One 7:e31614
Swarbrick, Alexander; Woods, Susan L; Shaw, Alexander et al. (2010) miR-380-5p represses p53 to control cellular survival and is associated with poor outcome in MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. Nat Med 16:1134-40
Kaye, Julia A; Rose, Natalie C; Goldsworthy, Brett et al. (2009) A 3'UTR pumilio-binding element directs translational activation in olfactory sensory neurons. Neuron 61:57-70
O'Halloran, Damien M; Altshuler-Keylin, Svetlana; Lee, Jin I et al. (2009) Regulators of AWC-mediated olfactory plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Genet 5:e1000761