Molecular Mechanisms Directing Spine Outgrowth and Synaptic Partner Selection in Caenorhabditis elegans

Kinesin-3 mediated axonal delivery of presynaptic neurexin stabilizes dendritic spines and postsynaptic components

The functional properties of neural circuits are defined by the patterns of synaptic connections between their partnering neurons, but the mechanisms that stabilize circuit connectivity are poorly understood. We systemically examined this question at synapses onto newly characterized dendritic spines of C. elegans GABAergic motor neurons. We show that the presynaptic adhesion protein neurexin/NRX-1 is required for stabilization of postsynaptic structure. We find that early postsynaptic developmental events proceed without a strict requirement for synaptic activity and are not disrupted by deletion of neurexin/nrx-1. However, in the absence of presynaptic NRX-1, dendritic spines and receptor clusters become destabilized and collapse prior to adulthood. We demonstrate that NRX-1 delivery to presynaptic terminals is dependent on kinesin-3/UNC-104 and show that ongoing UNC-104 function is required for postsynaptic maintenance in mature animals. By defining the dynamics and temporal order of synapse formation and maintenance events in vivo, we describe a mechanism for stabilizing mature circuit connectivity through neurexin-based adhesion.

Imaging Dendritic Spines in Caenorhabditis elegans

Dendritic spines are specialized sites of synaptic innervation modulated by activity and serve as substrates for learning and memory. Recently, dendritic spines have been described for DD GABAergic neurons as the input sites from presynaptic cholinergic neurons in the motor circuit of Caenorhabditis elegans. This synaptic circuit can now serve as a powerful new in vivo model of spine morphogenesis and function that exploits the facile genetics and ready accessibility of C. elegans to live-cell imaging. This protocol describes experimental strategies for assessing DD spine structure and function. In this approach, a super-resolution imaging strategy is used to visualize the intricate shapes of actin-rich dendritic spines. To evaluate the DD spine function, the light-activated opsin, Chrimson, stimulates the presynaptic cholinergic neurons, and the calcium indicator, GCaMP, reports the evoked calcium transients in postsynaptic DD spines. Together, these methods comprise powerful approaches for identifying genetic determinants of dendritic spines in C. elegans that could also direct spine morphogenesis and function in the brain.

C. elegans neurons have functional dendritic spines

Dendritic spines are specialized postsynaptic structures that transduce presynaptic signals, are regulated by neural activity and correlated with learning and memory. Most studies of spine function have focused on the mammalian nervous system. However, spine-like protrusions have been reported in C. elegans (Philbrook et al., 2018), suggesting that the experimental advantages of smaller model organisms could be exploited to study the biology of dendritic spines. Here, we used super-resolution microscopy, electron microscopy, live-cell imaging and genetics to show that C. elegans motor neurons have functional dendritic spines that: (1) are structurally defined by a dynamic actin cytoskeleton; (2) appose presynaptic dense projections; (3) localize ER and ribosomes; (4) display calcium transients triggered by presynaptic activity and propagated by internal Ca++ stores; (5) respond to activity-dependent signals that regulate spine density. These studies provide a solid foundation for a new experimental paradigm that exploits the power of C. elegans genetics and live-cell imaging for fundamental studies of dendritic spine morphogenesis and function.