SLO BK Potassium Channels Couple Gap Junctions to Inhibition of Calcium Signaling in Olfactory Neuron Diversification

PLoS Genet. 2016 Jan 15;12(1):e1005654. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005654. eCollection 2016 Jan.

Abstract

The C. elegans AWC olfactory neuron pair communicates to specify asymmetric subtypes AWCOFF and AWCON in a stochastic manner. Intercellular communication between AWC and other neurons in a transient NSY-5 gap junction network antagonizes voltage-activated calcium channels, UNC-2 (CaV2) and EGL-19 (CaV1), in the AWCON cell, but how calcium signaling is downregulated by NSY-5 is only partly understood. Here, we show that voltage- and calcium-activated SLO BK potassium channels mediate gap junction signaling to inhibit calcium pathways for asymmetric AWC differentiation. Activation of vertebrate SLO-1 channels causes transient membrane hyperpolarization, which makes it an important negative feedback system for calcium entry through voltage-activated calcium channels. Consistent with the physiological roles of SLO-1, our genetic results suggest that slo-1 BK channels act downstream of NSY-5 gap junctions to inhibit calcium channel-mediated signaling in the specification of AWCON. We also show for the first time that slo-2 BK channels are important for AWC asymmetry and act redundantly with slo-1 to inhibit calcium signaling. In addition, nsy-5-dependent asymmetric expression of slo-1 and slo-2 in the AWCON neuron is necessary and sufficient for AWC asymmetry. SLO-1 and SLO-2 localize close to UNC-2 and EGL-19 in AWC, suggesting a role of possible functional coupling between SLO BK channels and voltage-activated calcium channels in AWC asymmetry. Furthermore, slo-1 and slo-2 regulate the localization of synaptic markers, UNC-2 and RAB-3, in AWC neurons to control AWC asymmetry. We also identify the requirement of bkip-1, which encodes a previously identified auxiliary subunit of SLO-1, for slo-1 and slo-2 function in AWC asymmetry. Together, these results provide an unprecedented molecular link between gap junctions and calcium pathways for terminal differentiation of olfactory neurons.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics*
  • Calcium Channels / biosynthesis
  • Calcium Channels / genetics*
  • Calcium Signaling / genetics
  • Cell Communication / genetics
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics*
  • Gap Junctions / genetics*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels / genetics*
  • Membrane Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Membrane Transport Proteins / genetics*
  • Muscle Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Muscle Proteins / genetics*
  • Olfactory Receptor Neurons / metabolism
  • Smell / genetics

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Calcium Channels
  • Egl-19 protein, C elegans
  • Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Membrane Transport Proteins
  • Muscle Proteins
  • SLO-2 protein, C elegans
  • slo-1 protein, C elegans
  • unc-2 protein, C elegans