Comparative Genetics and Neurobiology of Nematode Feeding

University Of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas TX

Investigators

Abstract

Avery The goal of this project is to identify the causes of differences in feeding behavior among bacteria-eating soil nematodes. The organ responsible for getting food into the worm is the pharynx. It has its own nervous system of 20 neurons. Feeding behavior has been studied in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. In this project the feeding behavior of other nematodes will be compared to that of C elegans. The structure and function of Panagrellus redivivus pharyngeal neurons will be determined and compared to the known structure and function of C elegans pharyngeal neurons. The effects of differences in feeding behavior on the foods the two species can eat will be explored. Feeding behavior and the structure and function of the pharyngeal nervous system in several other bacteria-eating soil nematodes will be explored, to see if the lessons learned from C elegans and P redivivus can be extended. Different animals behave in different ways. For instance, dogs are fairly sociable animals, while cats are more solitary. Closer to home, chimpanzees behave very differently from humans in many ways, even though chimpanzees are genetically similar to humans and have quite similar brains. The long-term goal of this project is to find out why different animal species behave differently. More precisely, the goal is to find the genes that cause different behavior. In the even longer term, the researchers hope to get some idea of how behavior has evolved by comparing behavioral and genetic differences with the evolutionary history of the nematodes.