Neuro-glial peptidergic signaling in cognition and aging

Cognitive decline and general aging of the nervous system are important challenges in today’s graying society. Current knowledge suggests that differences in communication between two cell types in the nervous system, neurons and glia, translate to differences in plasticity and healthy aging of the brain. We are interested in the role of neuropeptides herein. Neuropeptides are important signaling molecules in neuronal and hormonal circuits, and their receptors are prime targets for human disease interventions. Building on recent findings and unpublished work, we hypothesize that specific neuropeptides connect glia with neurons and that these shape nervous system plasticity and aging.Functional studies of neuropeptide signaling benefit from using the model organism C. elegans, which like humans relies on numerous neuropeptides, but has only a handful of cells in its nervous system. Hence, we propose to use C. elegans to understand how neuro-glial peptides build functional circuits in the nervous system to support neuronal plasticity and cognition during aging.

Keywords:neuron, peptidomics, behavioral plasticity, functional genomics, learning and memory, calcium imaging, mass spectrometry, G protein coupled receptor, GPCR-ligand networks, aging, neuropeptide

Disciplines:Animal cell and molecular biology