Biophysical modeling of the whole-cell dynamics of C. elegans motor and interneurons families

Nicoletti, Martina and Chiodo, Letizia and Loppini, Alessandro and Liu, Qiang and Folli, Viola and Ruocco, Giancarlo and Filippi, Simonetta and Cymbalyuk, Gennady S. (2024) Biophysical modeling of the whole-cell dynamics of C. elegans motor and interneurons families. PLOS ONE, 19 (3). e0298105. ISSN 1932-6203

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Abstract

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model organism for neuroscience. Although its nervous system has been fully reconstructed, the physiological bases of single-neuron functioning are still poorly explored. Recently, many efforts have been dedicated to measuring signals from C. elegans neurons, revealing a rich repertoire of dynamics, including bistable responses, graded responses, and action potentials. Still, biophysical models able to reproduce such a broad range of electrical responses lack. Realistic electrophysiological descriptions started to be developed only recently, merging gene expression data with electrophysiological recordings, but with a large variety of cells yet to be modeled. In this work, we contribute to filling this gap by providing biophysically accurate models of six classes of C. elegans neurons, the AIY, RIM, and AVA interneurons, and the VA, VB, and VD motor neurons. We test our models by comparing computational and experimental time series and simulate knockout neurons, to identify the biophysical mechanisms at the basis of inter and motor neuron functioning. Our models represent a step forward toward the modeling of C. elegans neuronal networks and virtual experiments on the nematode nervous system.

Item Type: Article
Subjects: Apsci Archives > Biological Science
Depositing User: Unnamed user with email support@apsciarchives.com
Date Deposited: 01 Apr 2024 07:36
Last Modified: 01 Apr 2024 07:36
URI: http://eprints.go2submission.com/id/eprint/2694

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