Signal Decoding for Glutamate Modulating Egg Laying Oppositely in Caenorhabditis elegans under Varied Environmental Conditions

Animals' ability to sense environmental cues and to integrate this information to control fecundity is vital for continuing the species lineage. In this study, we observed that the sensory neurons Amphid neuron (ASHs and ADLs) differentially regulate egg-laying behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans under varied environmental conditions via distinct neuronal circuits. Under standard culture conditions, ASHs tonically release a small amount of glutamate and inhibit Hermaphrodite specific motor neuron (HSN) activities and egg laying via a highly sensitive Glutamate receptor (GLR)-5 receptor. In contrast, under Cu2+ stimulation, ASHs and ADLs may release a large amount of glutamate and inhibit Amphid interneuron (AIA) interneurons via low-sensitivity Glutamate-gated chloride channel (GLC)-3 receptor, thus removing the inhibitory roles of AIAs on HSN activity and egg laying. However, directly measuring the amount of glutamate released by sensory neurons under different conditions and assaying the binding kinetics of receptors with the neurotransmitter are still required to support this study directly.