behavioral and immune responses to infection require gαq- rhoa signaling in c. elegans行为和感染的免疫反应需要gαqu2014u2014rhoa秀丽隐杆线虫的信号.pdfVIP

Behavioral and Immune Responses to Infection Require Gaq- RhoA Signaling in C. elegans 1,2 2 1 Rachel McMullan *, Alexandra Anderson , Stephen Nurrish * 1 MRC Cell Biology Unit, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology and Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology, University College London, London, United Kingdom, 2 Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, United Kingdom Abstract Following pathogen infection the hosts’ nervous and immune systems react with coordinated responses to the danger. A key question is how the neuronal and immune responses to pathogens are coordinated, are there common signaling pathways used by both responses? Using C. elegans we show that infection by pathogenic strains of M. nematophilum, but not exposure to avirulent strains, triggers behavioral and immune responses both of which require a conserved Gaq- RhoGEF Trio-Rho signaling pathway. Upon infection signaling by the Gaq pathway within cholinergic motorneurons is necessary and sufficient to increase release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and increase locomotion rates and these behavioral changes result in C. elegans leaving lawns of M. nematophilum. In the immune response to infection signaling by the Gaq pathway within rectal epithelial cells is necessary and sufficient to cause changes in cell morphology resulting in tail swelling that limits the infection. These Gaq mediated behavioral and immune responses to infection are separate, act in a cell autonomous fashion and activation of this pathway in the appropriate cells can trigger these responses in the absence of infection. Within the rectal epithelium the Gaq signaling pathway cooperates with a