An unusual potassium conductance protects Caenorhabditis elegans pharyngeal muscle rhythms against environmental noise

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Kenngott, Max; Sengupta, Piali; Lockery, Shawn; Marder, Eve
• 署名单位: Brandeis University; Brandeis University; Brandeis University; University of Oregon
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-12930
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2422709122
• 发表日期: 2025-04-08
• 关键词: chronic spinal rats; plateau potentials; motoneurons; channel; rectification; excitation; patterns; neurons; SYSTEM; inward

摘要

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans feeds by rhythmic contraction and relaxation of a neuromuscular organ called the pharynx, which draws in and filters water and bacterial food. This behavior is driven by myogenic plateau potentials, long-lasting depolarizations of the pharyngeal muscle, which are timed by neuronal input from a dedicated pharyngeal nervous system. While the timing of these plateaus' initiation has received significant attention, their mechanisms of termination remain incompletely understood. In particular, it is unclear how plateaus resist early termination by hyperpolarizing current noise. Here, we present a computational model of pharyngeal plateaus against a noisy background. We propose that an unusual, rapidly inactivating potassium conductance confers exceptional noise robustness on the system. We further investigate the possibility that a similar mechanism in other systems permits switching between plateau and spiking behavior under noisy conditions.