How the Worm Turns, in Molecular Detail

Richard Robinson

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001526

Abstract

How the Worm Turns, in Molecular Detail

Highlights

Any behavior is, at its most elemental level, a coordinated series of muscle contractions
While the outlines of such a simple behavioral circuit have been understood for decades, the details— in particular, which neurotransmitters act through which receptors in which neurons—have remained largely unknown for even the simplest behaviors. In this issue of PLOS Biology, Jamie Donnelly, Chris Clark, Mark Alkema and colleagues tease out the details of one such behavior at the molecular level in the roundworm
The authors found that this paralysis could be overcome by mutating the gene encoding the ser-2 tyramine receptor

Summary

Introduction

At its most elemental level, a coordinated series of muscle contractions. In this issue of PLOS Biology, Jamie Donnelly, Chris Clark, Mark Alkema and colleagues tease out the details of one such behavior at the molecular level in the roundworm. They uncover a multi-step neurotransmitter cascade that allows a set of muscle cells to hypercontract on one side of the animal, causing it to turn sharply away from a threatening stimulus.

Results

Conclusion