DOI: 10.5061/dryad.83bk3j9vg
title: Data from: A proprioceptive feedback circuit drives C. elegans locomotor adaptation through dopamine signaling

description: An animal adapts its motor behavior to navigate through the external
 environment. This adaptation depends on proprioception, which provides
 feedback on an animal’s body postures. How proprioception mechanisms
 interact with motor circuits and contribute to locomotor adaptation
 remains unclear. Here we describe and characterize proprioception-mediated
 homeostatic control of undulatory movement in the roundworm Caenorhabditis
 elegans. We found the worm responds to optogenetically or mechanically
 induced decreases in mid-body bending amplitude by increasing its anterior
 amplitude. Conversely, it responds to increased mid-body amplitude by
 decreasing the anterior amplitude. Using genetics, microfluidic and
 optogenetic perturbation response analyses, and optical neurophysiology,
 we elucidated the neural circuit underlying this compensatory postural
 response. The dopaminergic PDE neurons sense mid-body bending and signal
 to AVK interneurons via the D2-like dopamine receptor DOP-3. The
 FMRFamide-like neuropeptide FLP-1, released by AVK, regulates SMB head
 motor neurons to modulate anterior bending. We propose that this
 homeostatic behavioral control optimizes the efficiency of locomotion. Our
 findings demonstrate a mechanism in which proprioception works with
 dopamine and neuropeptide signaling to mediate motor control, a motif that
 may be conserved in other animals.
description: (A) Folder 'Biomechanical experiments' contains
 original videos of locomotion of C. elegans in viscous fluids.  Worms were
 placed in chambers filled with dextran solutions.  Worm locomotion was
 collected by CCD camera mounted on a microscope.  Data were processed by
 customized behavioral analyzing code provided along.
 The name of the each subfolder is in the format
 "XXXX-XX-XX_XX_XXpct", denoting the time, strain name, and
 viscosity of the medium. In each subfolder:  (1)
 AVI files represent video recordings in both dark-field mode and binary
 mode.  (2) MAT and TXT files represent intermediate
 data derived from the post-acquisition analysis of the video recordings;
 the post-acquisition analysis code is available from the referred article
 (link of the article is provided in this repository). Within the MAT and
 TXT file, the meaning of each variable is described in the data repository
 associated with the referred article.  
 (B) Folder 'Compensatory experiments' (part I to VI)
 contains original videos (in AVI format) of free and constrained
 locomotion of C. elegans in NGM buffer.  Worms were placed in microfluidic
 devices with narrow channels for constraining specific regions of worms. 
 Worm locomotion was collected by CMOS camera.  Data were processed by
 customized analyzing code provided along. The name
 of the each subfolder is in the format "XXXX_XXXX_XXXX-XX-XX",
 denoting the strain name, channel width, and time of
 experiments.   (C) Folder
 'GCAMP experiments' (part I to IV) contains original image
 sequences (in TIF format) of worms with specific neurons tagged with GCaMP
 or GFP.  Worms (strains include BZ555 and SWF331 as indicated by the
 subfolder name) were prepared either onto agarose pads capped with a cover
 glass, or in a viscous fluid (45 per cent dextran solution), or in a
 microfluidic chamber patterned with sinusoidal channels (preparation
 method is indicated by the subfolder name: "agar freemove",
 "fluid freemove", and "microfluidic sinusoidal"). 
 Worms were able to freely move around or were paralyzed due to genetic
 mutations.    (D) Folder
 'Validation of fluo expr': This folder contains images for
 validating successful ablations of specific neurons labelled with
 fluorescence.  All data were collected on a fluorescence microscope. 
 Images were processed by using ImageJ software and customized phython
 scripts provided along.The name of the each subfolder indicate the
 conditions of experiments, including the time, strain name, and/or the
 neurons being ablated.   (E)
 Folder 'Optogenetic experiments' contains original videos of
 transgenic worms with specific cells inhibited or stimulated by a laser
 targeting system.  Worms were placed in chambers filled with dextran
 solutions.  Worm locomotion was recorded by CCD camera mounted on a
 microscope.  Data were processed by customized C++ scripts developed by Dr
 Fouad et al (https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.29913). 
 The name of the each subfolder indicate the conditions of
 experiments, including the time, strain name, and viscosity of the medium,
 location of illumination, duration of light pulse, and the use of
 polarizers. In each subfolder:  (1) AVI files
 represent video recordings in both dark-field mode and binary
 mode.  (2) MAT and TXT files represent intermediate
 data derived from the post-acquisition analysis of the video recordings;
 the post-acquisition analysis code is available from the referred article
 (link of the article is provided in this repository). Within the MAT and
 TXT file, the meaning of each variable is described in the data repository
 associated with the referred article.
description: ImageJ or other image/video softwares are required to open the
 image/video files. Intermediate files contained in the 'Optogenetic
 experiments' folder can be opened by MATLAB (2020b).