The structure of the ventral nerve cord of Caenorhabditis elegans
- PMID: 8806
- DOI: 10.1098/rstb.1976.0086
The structure of the ventral nerve cord of Caenorhabditis elegans
Abstract
The nervous system of Caenorhabditis elegans is arranged as a series of fibre bundles which run along internal hypodermal ridges. Most of the sensory integration takes place in a ring of nerve fibres which is wrapped round the pharynx in the head. The body muscles in the head are innervated by motor neurones in this nerve ring while those in the lower part of the body are innervated by a set of motor neurones in a longitudinal fibre bundle which joins the nerve ring, the ventral cord. These motor neurones can be put into five classes on the basis of their morphology and synaptic input. At any one point along the cord only one member from each class has neuromuscular junctions. Members of a given class are arranged in a regular linear sequence in the cord and have non-overlapping fields of motor synaptic activity, the transition between fields of adjacent neurones being sharp and well defined. Members of a given class form gap junctions with neighbouring members of the same class but never to motor neurones of another class. Three of the motor neurone classes receive their synaptic input from a set of interneurones coming from the nerve ring. These interneurones can in turn be grouped into four classes and each of three motor neurone classes receives its synaptic input from a unique combination of interneurone classes. The possible developmental and functional significance of these observations is discussed.
Similar articles
-
The structure of the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1986 Nov 12;314(1165):1-340. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1986.0056. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1986. PMID: 22462104
-
Synaptic structure, distribution, and circuitry in the central nervous system of the locust and related insects.Microsc Res Tech. 2002 Feb 1;56(3):210-26. doi: 10.1002/jemt.10031. Microsc Res Tech. 2002. PMID: 11810723 Review.
-
Repeating patterns of motoneurons in nematodes: the origin of segmentation?EXS. 1995;72:61-75. doi: 10.1007/978-3-0348-9219-3_4. EXS. 1995. PMID: 7833620 Review.
-
Distribution and morphology of synapses on nonspiking local interneurones in the thoracic nervous system of the locust.J Comp Neurol. 1988 Jun 22;272(4):605-16. doi: 10.1002/cne.902720411. J Comp Neurol. 1988. PMID: 3417899
-
The pharynx of Caenorhabditis elegans.Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1976 Aug 10;275(938):299-325. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1976.0085. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1976. PMID: 8805
Cited by
-
A tonically active master neuron modulates mutually exclusive motor states at two timescales.Sci Adv. 2024 Apr 12;10(15):eadk0002. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adk0002. Epub 2024 Apr 10. Sci Adv. 2024. PMID: 38598630 Free PMC article.
-
Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Synaptic Subcellular Specificity.Brain Sci. 2024 Feb 2;14(2):155. doi: 10.3390/brainsci14020155. Brain Sci. 2024. PMID: 38391729 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The neuropeptidergic connectome of C. elegans.Neuron. 2023 Nov 15;111(22):3570-3589.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.09.043. Epub 2023 Nov 6. Neuron. 2023. PMID: 37935195 Free PMC article.
-
Locomotion modulates olfactory learning through proprioception in C. elegans.Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 27;14(1):4534. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-40286-x. Nat Commun. 2023. PMID: 37500635 Free PMC article.
-
The head mesodermal cell couples FMRFamide neuropeptide signaling with rhythmic muscle contraction in C. elegans.Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 14;14(1):4218. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-39955-8. Nat Commun. 2023. PMID: 37452027 Free PMC article.
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Miscellaneous