Homeostasis in C. elegans sleep is characterized by two behaviorally and genetically distinct mechanisms
- University of Chicago, United States
- Harvard University, United States
Abstract
Biological homeostasis invokes modulatory responses aimed at stabilizing internal conditions. Using tunable photo- and mechano-stimulation, we identified two distinct categories of homeostatic responses during the sleep-like state of C. elegans (lethargus). In the presence of weak or no stimuli, extended motion caused a subsequent extension of quiescence. The neuropeptide Y receptor homolog, NPR-1, and an inhibitory neuropeptide known to activate it, FLP-18, were required for this process. In the presence of strong stimuli, the correlations between motion and quiescence were disrupted for several minutes but homeostasis manifested as an overall elevation of the time spent in quiescence. This response to strong stimuli required the function of the DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor in neurons, but not that of NPR-1. Conversely, response to weak stimuli did not require the function of DAF-16/FOXO. These findings suggest that routine homeostatic stabilization of sleep may be distinct from homeostatic compensation following a strong disturbance.
Article and author information
Author details
Reviewing Editor
- Ronald L Calabrese, Emory University, United States
Version history
- Received: August 14, 2014
- Accepted: December 3, 2014
- Accepted Manuscript published: December 4, 2014 (version 1)
- Version of Record published: December 23, 2014 (version 2)
Copyright
© 2014, Nagy et al.
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.
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Homeostasis in C. elegans sleep is characterized by two behaviorally and genetically distinct mechanisms
eLife 3:e04380.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04380
