Fig. 3: UNC-8 mediates mechanosensory responses of D-MNs and regulates locomotion through AVA interneurons.
From: GABAergic motor neurons bias locomotor decision-making in C. elegans
a UNC-8 was required for mechanoreceptor current (MRC) caused by ejecting the bath solution at 10 psi in VD5 (held at −60 mV). Compared with wild type (wt), p = 0.001 unc-8(tm2071), 0.002 unc-8 RNAi, 0.441 unc-8 rescue, and 0.992 del-1(ok150);mec-6(u450). b Mechanical stimulation of D-MNs evoked an outward current in AVA and hyperpolarization of AVA in wt but not the AVA-targeted unc-49 RNAi strain. Compared with wt, p = 0.000 for peak current, and 0.002 for hyperpolarization. c GABAergic neuron-targeted unc-8 RNAi did not alter locomotion speed but significantly increased the ratio of backward/forward movement. p = 0.011 forward distance, 0.011 backward distance, 0.012 backward/forward ratio, 0.541 forward speed, and 0.876 backward speed. The asterisks indicate statistically significant differences compared with wt (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001) based on either one-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test (a) or unpaired two-sided t-test (b, c). The numbers inside brackets indicate sample size (n). n = numbers of independently recorded cells in a and b, but numbers of individual worms in c. Data are presented as mean values ± SEM. Source data are provided as a Source data file.
