A single neuron in C. elegans orchestrates multiple motor outputs through parallel modes of transmission
Data files
Aug 30, 2023 version files 64.46 MB
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BAG_GCaMP_data.zip
62.64 MB
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HSN_GCaMP_data.zip
1.82 MB
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README.md
4.38 KB
Abstract
Animals generate a wide range of highly coordinated motor outputs, which allows them to execute purposeful behaviors. Individual neurons in the circuits that generate behaviors have a remarkable capacity for flexibility, as they exhibit multiple axonal projections, transmitter systems, and modes of neural activity. How these multi-functional properties of neurons enable the generation of adaptive behaviors remains unknown. Here we show that the HSN neuron in C. elegans evokes multiple motor programs over different timescales to enable a suite of behavioral changes during egg-laying. Using HSN activity perturbations and in vivo calcium imaging, we show that HSN acutely increases egg-laying and locomotion while also biasing the animals towards low-speed dwelling behavior over minutes. The acute effects of HSN on egg-laying and high-speed locomotion are mediated by separate sets of HSN transmitters and different HSN axonal projections. The long-lasting effects on dwelling are mediated by HSN release of serotonin that is taken up and re-released by NSM, another serotonergic neuron class that directly evokes dwelling. Our results show how the multi-functional properties of a single neuron allow it to induce a coordinated suite of behaviors and also reveal that neurons can borrow serotonin from one another to control behavior.
##A single neuron in C. elegans orchestrates multiple motor outputs through parallel modes of transmission
This dataset is from the study “A single neuron in C. elegans orchestrates multiple motor outputs through parallel modes of transmission” by YC Huang, J Luo, W Huang, CM Baker, MA Gomes, AB Byrne, and SW Flavell (2023).
GCaMP datasets were collected from freely-moving animals placed on agar with seeded OP50 bacterial food. The HSN neuron calcium imaging aimed to investigate the activity of the HSN neuron related to the animals' locomotion and egg-laying behavior on food. The BAG neuron calcium imaging aimed to observe whether the BAG neuron responds to the osmotic upshift.
Description of the data and file structure
The HSN_GCaMP_data folder contains six subfolders that provide HSN activity and animals' behaviors from indicated recordings, labeled with the date of recording in the file name.
- The EggEvents folder contains .txt files that show the frame(s) in which an animal laid an egg during that recording. Recordings that are in other folders but absent in this folder are recordings without egg-laying events.
- The gcamp_raw folder contains .mat (MATLAB) files with background-subtracted HSN GCaMP intensity from the recordings.
- The GcampPeaks folder contains .txt files that show the frames in which the recordings have maximum HSN GCaMP peaks.
- The mscarlet_raw folder contains .mat (MATLAB) files with background-subtracted HSN mscarlet intensity from the recordings. As the mscarlet doesn't respond to neuron activity changes, it is used as a correction of imaging focus shift.
- The Ratiometric folder contains .mat (MATLAB) files with gcamp_raw normalized to mscarlet_raw.
- The Speed folder contains .txt files for the speed of the animals in the corresponding recordings.
For BAG calcium imaging, animals were placed on agar fused with two different osmolarities. Under the BAG_GCaMP_data folder, each subfolder contains a TIF file showing the location of the boundary of two osmolarities and a .txt file that contains information on BAG neuron activity and the neuron's location in the corresponding frames. The variables used from .txt files are from column 1-5: Slice (frame), xc (x-coordinate), yc (y-coordinate), intdens (integrated density), and intsub (background-subtracted integrated density).
• Relationship between files, if important: None
• Additional related data collected that was not included in the current data package: None
• Are there multiple versions of the dataset? No
Code/Software
ImageJ 2.3 (Fiji)
The "imagej scripts for tracking" folder contains a .txt file and 2 .ijm files. These scripts are used in the publication for automatic single neuron tracking from recorded videos. Please refer to the linked publication for more details about the imaging setup to see if this script is useful for your recordings or if parameters in the codes need to be modified. To use these scripts, put all files under the "macros" folder in your ImageJ/Fiji installation. The .txt file contains settings that you can modify to adjust tracking for your neuron. The .ijm file is an ImageJ macro.
MATLAB (2022a)
"Neuron_retracking" is a MATLAB code that allows you to use the .txt files that are outputs from the ImageJ scripts to retrack the pixel intensity from the same pixel location from different channels (e.g., GFP vs mCherry) of the same recording. The input files for this function are the .txt file output from the ImageJ scripts and individual TIF files from recordings (videos need to be exported as individual TIF files first).
Sharing/Access information
- Links to publications that cite or use the data:
YC Huang, J Luo, W Huang, CM Baker, MA Gomes, AB Byrne and SW Flavell (2023). A single neuron in C. elegans orchestrates multiple motor outputs through parallel modes of transmission - Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: None
- Links/relationships to ancillary data sets: None
- Was data derived from another source? No
A. If yes, list source(s): NA - Recommended citation for this dataset:
YC Huang, J Luo, W Huang, CM Baker, MA Gomes, AB Byrne and SW Flavell (2023). A single neuron in C. elegans orchestrates multiple motor outputs through parallel modes of transmission
Dryad Digital Repository. doi:10.5061/dryad.1vhhmgr01
GCaMP datasets were collected from freely-moving C. elegans animals, using widefield imaging of animals on agar slides, as described in the manuscript.
ImageJ tracking script: Put the .txt file and the .ijm file in the same folder under the "macros" folder in ImageJ/Fiji installation. The .txt file includes settings that can be adjusted for the neuron of interest. the .ijm file is an ImageJ macro
Neuron retracking script: MATLAB code that enables tracking of fluorescence intensity in the same neuron location in different channel. The inputs required are a txt file containing the neuron location (which is the output of the ImageJ tracking script), and Tiff files from the recordings.
For HSN GCaMP dataset: there are 6 file folders: 1) gcamp raw 2) mscarlet raw 3) Ratiometric are in .mat files (MATLAB) ; 4) Eggevetns 5) GcampPeaks and 6) speed are in txt file format
For BAG GCaMP dataset: each folder contains a JPEG file to define fused agar boundary and a gcamp tracking file (a csv with: frame,xcoord,ycoored,intdens,intsub,bgmedian,maxint,area,x,y,sqintdens,sqintsub,sqarea,threshold,animal,redFlag,useTracking)
- Flavell, Steven et al. (2023), A single neuron in C. elegans orchestrates multiple motor outputs through parallel modes of transmission, , Article, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8287371
- Huang, Yung-Chi; Luo, Jinyue; Huang, Wenjia et al. (2023). A single neuron inC. elegansorchestrates multiple motor outputs through parallel modes of transmission [Preprint]. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.04.02.532814
- Huang, Yung-Chi; Luo, Jinyue; Huang, Wenjia et al. (2023). A single neuron in C. elegans orchestrates multiple motor outputs through parallel modes of transmission. Current Biology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.08.088
