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This article comes from the official account of Wechat: SF Chinese (ID:kexuejiaodian), author: SF

Studies have shown that nerve cells can use neuropeptide molecules for long-distance "wireless communication". In two recent studies, scientists revealed for the first time a "wireless network" of the nematode nervous system, providing a new perspective for understanding the nervous system.

The nervous system is a complex network of nerve cells that transmit information from one nerve cell to another through synapses-where nerve cells come into contact with each other.

However, new research has found that communication between nerve cells can be done not only by synapses, but also by long-distance "wireless networks". The network uses a molecule called neuropeptide (neuropeptide), which can be released from one nerve cell and then absorbed by another over a long distance.

The existence of this form of communication may change our understanding of the transmission of information in the nervous system and provide new ideas for the development of new drugs and treatments.

In order to explore the "wireless communication" of nerve cells, two research teams used different methods to study a kind of nematode, beautiful hidden rod nematode (Caenorhabditis elegans). The nematode has only 302 nerve cells, but they can exhibit complex behaviors such as learning, memory and socializing. The nervous system of C. elegans has been mapped in detail, including their synaptic connections, but their neuropeptide communication is little known.

Caenorhabditis elegans has 302 nerve cells (green parts), and scientists can use fluorescent proteins to label and study them. (photo Source: Heiti Paves) A team led by neuroscientist William Schaefer (William Schafer) of the MRC Molecular Biology Laboratory in Cambridge, England, analyzed which nerve cells in the nervous system of C. elegans have genes that express neuropeptides and which cells have genes that express neuropeptide receptors, and to predict which nerve cells can communicate through neuropeptides.

Using these data, the team generated a potential "wireless connection" map of the beautiful hidden rod nematode and found that the connected areas were very different from the anatomical wiring diagram of the beautiful hidden rod nematode. Their findings are published in the journal Neuron.

Another team, led by Andrew Leifer, a neuroscientist at Princeton University, examined the activity of nerve cells, studied how signals are transmitted in the nervous system of beautiful hidden rod nematodes, and revealed the contribution of "wireless networks".

The team used optogenetics, a technique that uses light and photosensitive proteins to trigger nerve cells to send electrical signals. The researchers activated 302 nerve cells of Caenorhabditis elegans one by one and then recorded how signals were transmitted from one nerve cell to another.

The researchers found that based solely on the synaptic connections of Caenorhabditis elegans is not enough to explain all the records of neural activity. They suspect that neuropeptide communication is the missing part. So the researchers used genetic engineering to create a nematode that lacked the protein necessary for this signal type and found that many nerve cells remained silent when they tried to activate their nerve cells with photogenetics. This suggests that neuropeptide communication in C. elegans can directly activate nerve cells.

Moreover, when the researchers developed a model to describe the activity of nerve cells in beautiful hidden rod nematodes, they found that a model that included both synaptic connections and neuropeptide communication, better predicted the transmission of neural signals in nematodes than the model that relied on synaptic connections alone. The team's findings are published in the journal Nature.

Understanding the new perspective of the nervous system these two studies reveal for the first time the complete network of neuropeptide communication in the beautiful hidden rod nematode, indicating that it is as important as the synaptic signal network. This "wireless network" may be able to regulate many behaviors of nematodes, such as exercise, eating and reproduction.

Because neuropeptides are found in almost all animals on earth, some researchers speculate that similar "wireless networks" may exist in humans and other animals. Schaefer and his colleagues plan to conduct similar studies in other organisms to understand how neuropeptide networks and synaptic networks work together to affect an organism's behavior.

In addition, some drugs, such as the popular weight loss drug semaglutide, can activate neuropeptide receptors in the body. Therefore, understanding neuropeptide communication is helpful to understand the mechanism of action of these drugs, and may also provide new ideas for the development of new drugs and treatments.

All in all, these two studies remind us that synapses are not the only way to transmit information in the nervous system, there are other ways, and we need to understand the nervous system from a new perspective.

References:

Https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.neuron.2023.09.043

Https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41586-023-06683-4

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