Cross-modulation of homeostatic responses to temperature, oxygen and carbon dioxide in C. elegans.

Different interoceptive systems must be integrated to ensure that multiple homeostatic insults evoke appropriate behavioral and physiological responses. Little is known about how this is achieved. Using C.

A novel and conserved protein AHO-3 is required for thermotactic plasticity associated with feeding states in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Although a large proportion of molecules expressed in the nervous system are conserved from invertebrate to vertebrate, functional properties of such molecules are less characterized. Here, we show that highly conserved hydrolase AHO-3 acts as a novel regulator of starvation-induced thermotactic plasticity in Caenorhabditis elegans. As wild-type animals, aho-3 mutants migrated to the cultivation temperature on a linear thermal gradient after cultivation at a particular temperature with food.

Temperature, oxygen, and salt-sensing neurons in C. elegans are carbon dioxide sensors that control avoidance behavior.

Homeostatic control of body fluid CO(2) is essential in animals but is poorly understood. C. elegans relies on diffusion for gas exchange and avoids environments with elevated CO(2).