Description
Sensory neurons participate in diverse functions to allow external stimuli to be perceived across all organisms. Specialized ion channels expressed in sensory neurons are important for specific sensory modalities. In the planarian S. mediterranea, homologues of conserved classes of sensory-specific ion channels are present and can be investigated via genetic perturbation and behavioral assays. The present research has identified 20 ion channels that may be present in sensory neurons. Co-expression analysis showed that several groups of these ion channels were co-expressed in specific sensory-neuron rich tissues. Semi-automated behavior assays were created to measure planarians’ responses to vibration, rheosensation, and chemosensation. RNAi was performed, and we observed that three genes were implicated in mechanosensory neuron function: pkd1L-2, pkd2-4, and pkd2L-1. Several other genes expressed in the auricles were implicated in chemosensation. Thus, ion channels in planarians participate in diverse sensory modalities, and their functionality can be measured via the assays described in this study.
