Joint Biology & Biotechnology & Neuroscience Seminar
“Feeling the heat: Encoding stimulus features in the molecular profile of a thermosensory neuron drives behavioral plasticity”
Dr. Piali Sengupta
Harold and Bernice Davis Professor
Department of Biology
Brandeis University
Tuesday, April 11th @ 12pm
Abstract: Neurons modify their transcriptomes in response to an animal’s experience. How specific experiences are transduced to modulate gene expression and precisely tune neuronal functions are not fully defined. We have recently characterized the molecular profile of a thermosensory neuron pair in C. elegans experiencing different temperature stimuli. I will discuss results demonstrating that distinct salient features of the temperature stimulus including its duration, magnitude of change, and absolute value are encoded in the gene expression program in this single neuron. I will also describe our identification of a novel transmembrane protein and a transcription factor whose specific transcriptional dynamics are essential to drive neuronal, behavioral, and developmental plasticity. We have found that expression changes are driven by broadly expressed activity-dependent transcription factors and corresponding cis-regulatory elements that nevertheless direct neuron- and stimulus-specific gene expression programs. Our results suggest that coupling of defined stimulus characteristics to the gene regulatory logic in individual specialized neuron types can customize neuronal properties to drive precise behavioral adaptation.