Abstract
Despite their global prevalence, there are very few strategies to prevent infections due to parasitic nematodes. Recent studies have shown that bacteria engineered using the principles of synthetic biology may serve as an alternative approach to intoxicating nematodes. While these engineered bacteria were initially shown to be relatively efficacious in intoxicating the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the nematodes quickly learned to avoid the engineered bacteria through aversive associative learning, rendering them less effective as biocontrols. In this study, we sought to quantify the rate at which C. elegans learns to avoid the engineered nematicidal bacteria. Using nematode learning assays, we observed that C. elegans can learn to avoid the engineered bacteria in as little as five hours and that this behavior remains stable in the worm in the long term. Furthermore, we observed that periods of starvation subsequently reduced aversive associative learning in the worm. Our results are among the first comprehensive studies of learning and memory in C. elegans in response to a nematicidal protein, and may allow for optimization of treatment regiments when using nematicidal bacteria as a biocontol or therapeutic agent.
Faculty Sponsors
Dr. Evan C. Haskell, Dr. Christopher A. Blanar, Dr. Robert Smith
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-8-2016 1:00 PM
End Date
4-8-2016 5:30 PM
Quantitative Measurement of Learning and Memory in Caenorhabditis elegans in Response to an Engineered Nematicidal Bacterium
Alvin Sherman Library
Despite their global prevalence, there are very few strategies to prevent infections due to parasitic nematodes. Recent studies have shown that bacteria engineered using the principles of synthetic biology may serve as an alternative approach to intoxicating nematodes. While these engineered bacteria were initially shown to be relatively efficacious in intoxicating the model nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the nematodes quickly learned to avoid the engineered bacteria through aversive associative learning, rendering them less effective as biocontrols. In this study, we sought to quantify the rate at which C. elegans learns to avoid the engineered nematicidal bacteria. Using nematode learning assays, we observed that C. elegans can learn to avoid the engineered bacteria in as little as five hours and that this behavior remains stable in the worm in the long term. Furthermore, we observed that periods of starvation subsequently reduced aversive associative learning in the worm. Our results are among the first comprehensive studies of learning and memory in C. elegans in response to a nematicidal protein, and may allow for optimization of treatment regiments when using nematicidal bacteria as a biocontol or therapeutic agent.
