C. elegans male sensory-motor neurons and dopaminergic support cells couple ejaculation and post-ejaculatory behaviors

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Cite this article as: eLife 2014;3:e02938 doi: 10.7554/eLife.02938

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Abstract

The circuit structure and function underlying post-coital male behaviors remain poorly understood. Using mutant analysis, laser ablation, optogenetics and Ca2+ imaging, we observed that following C. elegans male copulation, the duration of post-coital lethargy is coupled to cellular events involved in ejaculation. We show that the SPV and SPD spicule-associated sensory neurons and the spicule socket neuronal support cells function with intromission circuit components, including the cholinergic SPC and PCB and the glutamatergic PCA sensory-motor neurons, to coordinate sex muscle contractions with initiation and continuation of sperm movement. Our observations suggest that the SPV and SPD and their associated dopamine-containing socket cells sense the intrauterine environment through cellular endings exposed at the spicule tips and regulate both sperm release into the hermaphrodite and the recovery from post-coital lethargy.

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Author details

Brigitte LeBoeuf

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Paola Correa

Texas A&M University, College Station, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Changhoon Jee

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, College Station, United States

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
L. René García

Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, Texas, United States

For correspondence
rgarcia@bio.tamu.edu

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

Reviewing Editor

Peggy Mason, University of Chicago, United States

Publication history

Received: March 28, 2014
Accepted: June 9, 2014
Accepted Manuscript published: June 10, 2014 (version 1)
Version of Record published: July 22, 2014 (version 2)

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This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.