Key result
In C. elegans, the DVA proprioceptor activates upon compression of the spectrin cytoskeleton in a TRP-4 dependent manner, while mechanical tension attenuates neuronal activity through TWK-16.
Why the study?
To gain insight into how mechanosensation shapes orbital trajectories to a well-defined limit cycle by investigating proprioceptive mechanics, molecules, and neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans.
This study demonstrates that proprioceptors in C. elegans are activated by compressive stresses rather than stretch, challenging the widely accepted model of stretch reception.
No immediate cardiovascular practice implications; leaves open whether compressive proprioception extends beyond C. elegans.
A repetitive gait cycle is an archetypical component within the behavioural repertoire of many if not all animals including humans. It originates from mechanical feedback within proprioceptors to adjust the motorprogram during locomotion and thus leads to a periodic orbit in a low dimensional space. Here, we investigate the mechanics, molecules and neurons responsible for proprioception in Caenorhabditis (C.) elegans to gain insight into how mechanosensation shapes the orbital trajectory to a well-defined limit cycle. We used genome editing, force spectroscopy and multiscale modeling and found that alternating tension and compression with the spectrin network of a single proprioceptor encodes body posture and informs TRP-4/NOMPC and TWK-16/TREK2 homologs of mechanosensitive ion channels during locomotion. In contrast to a widely accepted model of proprioceptive ‘stretch’ reception, we found that proprioceptors activated under compressive stresses in vivo and in vitro , and speculate that this property is conserved across function and species.
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A 2021 study studied Proprioception (Basic Science). Genetic mutations (unc-70, trp-4, twk-16) and mechanical stress vs. Wildtype C. elegans was evaluated on Neuronal activation (Ca2+ signals) and body posture curvature. In C. elegans, the DVA proprioceptor activates upon compression of the spectrin cytoskeleton in a TRP-4 dependent manner, while mechanical tension attenuates neuronal activity through TWK-16.
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