TY - JOUR
T1 - An opioid-like system regulating feeding behavior in C. Elegans
AU - Cheong, Mi Cheong
AU - Artyukhin, Alexander B.
AU - You, Young Jai
AU - Avery, Leon
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© Cheong et al.
Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2015/4/21
Y1 - 2015/4/21
N2 - Neuropeptides are essential for the regulation of appetite. Here we show that neuropeptides could regulate feeding in mutants that lack neurotransmission from the motor neurons that stimulate feeding muscles. We identified nlp-24 by an RNAi screen of 115 neuropeptide genes, testing whether they affected growth. NLP-24 peptides have a conserved YGGXX sequence, similar to mammalian opioid neuropeptides. In addition, morphine and naloxone respectively stimulated and inhibited feeding in starved worms, but not in worms lacking NPR-17, which encodes a protein with sequence similarity to opioid receptors. Opioid agonists activated heterologously expressed NPR-17, as did at least one NLP-24 peptide. Worms lacking the ASI neurons, which express npr-17, did not response to naloxone. Thus, we suggest that Caenorhabditis elegans has an endogenous opioid system that acts through NPR-17, and that opioids regulate feeding via ASI neurons. Together, these results suggest C. elegans may be the first genetically tractable invertebrate opioid model.
AB - Neuropeptides are essential for the regulation of appetite. Here we show that neuropeptides could regulate feeding in mutants that lack neurotransmission from the motor neurons that stimulate feeding muscles. We identified nlp-24 by an RNAi screen of 115 neuropeptide genes, testing whether they affected growth. NLP-24 peptides have a conserved YGGXX sequence, similar to mammalian opioid neuropeptides. In addition, morphine and naloxone respectively stimulated and inhibited feeding in starved worms, but not in worms lacking NPR-17, which encodes a protein with sequence similarity to opioid receptors. Opioid agonists activated heterologously expressed NPR-17, as did at least one NLP-24 peptide. Worms lacking the ASI neurons, which express npr-17, did not response to naloxone. Thus, we suggest that Caenorhabditis elegans has an endogenous opioid system that acts through NPR-17, and that opioids regulate feeding via ASI neurons. Together, these results suggest C. elegans may be the first genetically tractable invertebrate opioid model.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84929156840&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84929156840&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.7554/eLife.06683.001
DO - 10.7554/eLife.06683.001
M3 - Article
C2 - 25898004
AN - SCOPUS:84929156840
VL - 2015
SP - 1
EP - 19
JO - eLife
JF - eLife
SN - 2050-084X
IS - 4
M1 - e06683
ER -