The molecular mechanisms underlying the development and function of glia and synapses

Behaviors (of human or the nematode C. elegans) are controlled by neuronal circuits. To form functional circuits, neurons have to synapse onto specific target cells at specific subcellular compartment. How is the specificity formed during early development stage and maintained later on? What is the role of the glia during synaptic formation? To address those questions, we choose the nematode C. elegans as a model system. We choose C. elegans because it has a simple nervous system. C. elegans has only 302 neurons, and about 7000 synapses. The entire connectome has been mapped with electron microscope. The animals are optical transparent, it is easy to label cells or subcellular structures with florescent proteins and to do optogenetics. Furthermore, it is an excellent genetic system. Most importantly, many genes and signal pathways identified in C. elegans are evolutionally conserved. Therefore, we can identify and address general molecular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopment with this simple model.

Neurobiology