Amphid sensory neurons ofCaenorhabditis elegansorchestrate its survival from infection with broad classes of pathogens

Abstract

The survival of a host during infection relies on its ability to rapidly sense the invading pathogen and mount an appropriate response. The bacterivorous nematodeCaenorhabditis eleganslacks most of the traditional pattern recognition mechanisms. In this study, we hypothesized that the 12 pairs of amphid sensory neurons in the heads of worms provide sensing capability and thus affect survival during infection. We tested animals lacking amphid neurons to three major classes of pathogens, namely—a Gram-negative bacteriumPseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-positive bacteriumEnterococcus faecalis, and a pathogenic yeastCryptococcus neoformans. By using individual neuronal ablation lines or mutants lacking specific neurons, we demonstrate that some neurons broadly suppress the survival of the host and colonization of all pathogens, whereas other amphid neurons differentially regulate host survival during infection. We also show that the roles of some of these neurons are pathogen-specific, as seen with the AWB odor sensory neurons that promote survival only during infections withP.aeruginosa. Overall, our study reveals broad and specific roles for amphid neurons during infections.