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Feeding state regulates pheromone‐mediated avoidance behavior via the insulin signaling pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans
Author(s) -
Ryu Leesun,
Cheon YongJin,
Huh Yang Hoon,
Pyo Seondong,
Chinta Satya,
Choi Hongsoo,
Butcher Rebecca A,
Kim Kyuhyung
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.15252/embj.201798402
Subject(s) - caenorhabditis elegans , biology , sensory system , pheromone , neuroscience , microbiology and biotechnology , transcription factor , insulin receptor , signal transduction , sex pheromone , insulin , endocrinology , gene , genetics , insulin resistance
Animals change sensory responses and their eventual behaviors, depending on their internal metabolic status and external food availability. However, the mechanisms underlying feeding state‐dependent behavioral changes remain undefined. Previous studies have shown that Caenorhabditis elegans hermaphrodite exhibits avoidance behaviors to acute exposure of a pheromone, ascr#3 (asc‐ΔC9, C9). Here, we show that the ascr#3 avoidance behavior is modulated by feeding state via the insulin signaling pathway. Starvation increases ascr#3 avoidance behavior, and loss‐of‐function mutations in daf‐2 insulin‐like receptor gene dampen this starvation‐induced ascr#3 avoidance behavior. DAF ‐2 and its downstream signaling molecules, including the DAF ‐16 FOXO transcription factor, act in the ascr#3‐sensing ADL neurons to regulate synaptic transmission to downstream target neurons, including the AVA command interneurons. Moreover, we found that starvation decreases the secretion of INS ‐18 insulin‐like peptides from the intestine, which antagonizes DAF ‐2 function in the ADL neurons. Altogether, this study provides insights about the molecular communication between intestine and sensory neurons delivering hunger message to sensory neurons, which regulates avoidance behavior from pheromones to facilitate survival chance.