Abstract
With a compact neural circuit consisting of entirely mapped 302 neurons, Caenorhabditis elegans plays an important role in the development and application of optogenetics. Application of optogenetics in C. elegans accelerates the studies of neural circuits by offering the tools that drastically change experimental designs with increasing accessibility for neural activity. Combination with a different approach, such as electrophysiology, expands the potential of both optogenetics and other approaches by increasing resolution of elucidation. Moreover, the technologies specifically developed in combination with optogenetics, such as patterned illumination, provide new tools to interrogate neural functions. In this chapter, we first introduce the reasons to use optogenetics in C. elegans studies, and discuss the technical issues of optogenetics, especially for C. elegans. We then review early and recent milestone works using optogenetics to investigate neural and behavioral mechanisms. Note that, in this chapter, the term ‘optogenetics’ includes both imaging with fluorescence probes and neural activity manipulation using opsins.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Akerboom J, Carreras Calderón N, Tian L et al (2013) Genetically encoded calcium indicators for multi-color neural activity imaging and combination with optogenetics. Front Mol Neurosci 6:2. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2013.00002
Boulin T, Hobert O (2012) From genes to function: the C. elegans genetic toolbox. WIREs Dev Biol 1:114–137
Boyden ES, Zhang F, Bamberg E et al (2005) Millisecond-timescale, genetically targeted optical control of neural activity. Nat Neurosci 8:1263–1268
Brenner S (1974) The genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 77:71–94
Chalfie M, Sulston JE, White JG et al (1985) The neural circuit for touch sensitivity in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurosci 5:956–964
Clark DA, Biron D, Sengupta P et al (2006) The AFD sensory neurons encode multiple functions underlying thermotactic behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans. J Neurosci 26:7444–7451
Edwards SL, Charlie NK, Milfort MC et al (2008) A novel molecular solution for ultraviolet light detection in Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS Biol. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060198
Faumont S, Rondeau G, Thiele TR et al (2011) An image-free opto-mechanical system for creating virtual environments and imaging neuronal activity in freely moving Caenorhabditis elegans. PLoS One 6:e24666. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0024666
Guo ZV, Hart AC, Ramanathan S (2009) Optical interrogation of neural circuits in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Methods 6:891–896
Husson SJ, Gottschalk A, Leifer AM (2013) Optogenetic manipulation of neural activity in C. elegans: from synapse to circuits and behaviour. Biol Cell 105:235–250
Jarrell T a, Wang Y, Bloniarz AE et al (2012) The connectome of a decision-making neural network. Science 337:437–444
Kawazoe Y, Yawo H, Kimura KD (2012) A simple optogenetic system for behavioral analysis of freely moving small animals. Neurosci Res 75:65–68
Kocabas A, Shen C-H, Guo ZV et al (2012) Controlling interneuron activity in Caenorhabditis elegans to evoke chemotactic behaviour. Nature 490:273–277
Kuhara A, Ohnishi N, Shimowada T et al (2011) Neural coding in a single sensory neuron controlling opposite seeking behaviours in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Commun 2:355. doi:10.1038/ncomms1352
Leifer AM, Fang-Yen C, Gershow M et al (2011) Optogenetic manipulation of neural activity in freely moving Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Methods 8:147–152
Lindsay TH, Thiele TR, Lockery SR (2011) Optogenetic analysis of synaptic transmission in the central nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Commun 2:306. doi:10.1038/ncomms1304
Miyawaki A, Llopis J, Heim R et al (1997) Fluorescent indicators for Ca2+ based on green fluorescent proteins and calmodulin. Nature 388:882–887
Mori I, Ohshima Y (1995) Neural regulation of thermotaxis in Caenorhabditis elegans. Nature 376:344–348
Nagel G, Brauner M, Liewald JF et al (2005) Light activation of channelrhodopsin-2 in excitable cells of Caenorhabditis elegans triggers rapid behavioral responses. Curr Biol 15:2279–2284
Nakai J, Ohkura M, Imoto K (2001) A high signal-to-noise Ca(2+) probe composed of a single green fluorescent protein. Nat Biotechnol 19:137–141
Narayan A, Laurent G, Sternberg PW (2011) Transfer characteristics of a thermosensory synapse in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108:9667–9672. doi:10.1073/pnas.1106617108
Piggott BJ, Liu J, Feng Z et al (2011) The neural circuits and synaptic mechanisms underlying motor initiation in C. elegans. Cell 147:922–933
Stirman JN, Crane MM, Husson SJ et al (2011) Real-time multimodal optical control of neurons and muscles in freely behaving Caenorhabditis elegans. Nat Methods 8:153–158
White JG, Southgate E, Thomson JN et al (1986) The structure of the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 314:1–340
Yizhar O, Fenno LE, Davidson TJ et al (2011) Primer optogenetics in neural systems. Neuron 71:9–34
Zhang F, Wang L-P, Brauner M et al (2007) Multimodal fast optical interrogation of neural circuitry. Nature 446:633–639
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 Springer Japan
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Tsukada, Y., Mori, I. (2015). Optogenetics in Caenorhabditis elegans . In: Yawo, H., Kandori, H., Koizumi, A. (eds) Optogenetics. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55516-2_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55516-2_14
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-55515-5
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-55516-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)