Complex behaviors require the temporal coordination of distinct motor programs. The escape response of the nematode C. elegans consists of a compound motor sequence in which the animal coordinates head and body movements to reverse direction and turn away from a noxious stimulus. These studies show how a monoamine neurotransmitter orchestrates different phases of the escape response through the synaptic activation of a fast-acting ion channel and extrasynaptic activation of a slow-acting G-protein coupled receptor. See Donnelly et al. in this issue.
Image Credit: Jeremy T. Florman, Christopher M. Clark, and Mark J. Alkema
Synopses
Insights into How Calcium Forms Plaques in Arteries Pave the Way for New Treatments for Heart Disease
PLOS Biology: published April 9, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001533
Related Articles
Flower Petals Take Shape
PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001548
Related Articles
How the Worm Turns, in Molecular Detail
PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001526
Related Articles
HIV Plays (and Wins) a Game of T Cell Brinkmanship
PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001521
Related Articles
A Pair of Crescent-shaped Proteins Shape Vesicles at the Golgi
PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001543
Related Articles
Unsolved Mystery
The Case of the Missing Mechanism: How Does Temperature Influence Seasonal Timing in Endotherms?
PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001517
Perspectives
Synthetic Biology and Conservation of Nature: Wicked Problems and Wicked Solutions
PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001530
Subgrouping the Autism “Spectrum": Reflections on DSM-5
PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001544
An Introduction to Social Media for Scientists
PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001535
Primer
Cooperation and the Fate of Microbial Societies
PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001549
Related Articles
Community Page
COMPASS: Navigating the Rules of Scientific Engagement
PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001552
Research Articles
Feedback between Population and Evolutionary Dynamics Determines the Fate of Social Microbial Populations
PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001547
Related Articles
When the Most Potent Combination of Antibiotics Selects for the Greatest Bacterial Load: The Smile-Frown Transition
PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001540
A Positive Feedback Loop Involving Gcm1 and Fzd5 Directs Chorionic Branching Morphogenesis in the Placenta
PLOS Biology: published April 16, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001536
Vascular Calcifying Progenitor Cells Possess Bidirectional Differentiation Potentials
PLOS Biology: published April 9, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001534
Related Articles
JAGGED Controls Arabidopsis Petal Growth and Shape by Interacting with a Divergent Polarity Field
PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001550
Related Articles
Monoaminergic Orchestration of Motor Programs in a Complex C. elegans Behavior
PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001529
Related Articles
Reduction of the Cholesterol Sensor SCAP in the Brains of Mice Causes Impaired Synaptic Transmission and Altered Cognitive Function
PLOS Biology: published April 9, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001532
Transsynaptic Coordination of Synaptic Growth, Function, and Stability by the L1-Type CAM Neuroglian
PLOS Biology: published April 16, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001537
Subcellular Localization Determines the Stability and Axon Protective Capacity of Axon Survival Factor Nmnat2
PLOS Biology: published April 16, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001539
Ligands for Pheromone-Sensing Neurons Are Not Conformationally Activated Odorant Binding Proteins
PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001546
Rnf165/Ark2C Enhances BMP-Smad Signaling to Mediate Motor Axon Extension
PLOS Biology: published April 16, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001538
Immune Activation Promotes Evolutionary Conservation of T-Cell Epitopes in HIV-1
PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001523
Related Articles
Synthesis of Very-Long-Chain Fatty Acids in the Epidermis Controls Plant Organ Growth by Restricting Cell Proliferation
PLOS Biology: published April 9, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001531
RanBP2/Nup358 Potentiates the Translation of a Subset of mRNAs Encoding Secretory Proteins
PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001545
Transcriptional Corepressors HIPK1 and HIPK2 Control Angiogenesis Via TGF-β–TAK1–Dependent Mechanism
PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001527
Promoter Sequence Determines the Relationship between Expression Level and Noise
PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001528
PICK1 and ICA69 Control Insulin Granule Trafficking and Their Deficiencies Lead to Impaired Glucose Tolerance
PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001541
Related Articles
PICK1 Deficiency Impairs Secretory Vesicle Biogenesis and Leads to Growth Retardation and Decreased Glucose Tolerance
PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001542
Related Articles
Directional Transport Is Mediated by a Dynein-Dependent Step in an RNA Localization Pathway
PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2013 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1001551