Neuropeptidergic plasticity of evolutionarily conserved signaling systems

Learning and memory, two processes evolved early in the evolution of animals, are key events impaired during living-species’ ageing. Novel evidences indicate the importance of neuropeptides, essential regulatory proteins in the nervous system, in functional and behavioral implications. The studies will be performed using the nematode C. elegans as biological model, sharing many neuropeptides signaling systems with other animals. OMICS comparisons of the C. elegans genes and peptides with their vertebrate equivalents revealed a resemblance between their nervous systems, making C. elegans a perfect model to study the implications of neuropeptides in different biological pathways. This group of over 250 signaling molecules is derived from neuropeptide precursor genes, translated into preproteins and then cleaved and processed by a complex variety of enzymes into the final form. Although neuropeptides were primarily thought to act as neuromodulators, new discoveries demonstrated their ability to also act as fast neurotransmitters. This discovery opens new possibilities regarding their biological roles. The program will start from phylogenetic analyses and single-cell resolution expression data to unravel fundamental principles of neuropeptidergic signaling. Following this initial research, the aim will be to unravel the role of specific neuropeptides together with their receptors in the modulation of biological processes with a specific focus on learning and memory. Several techniques will be employed to understand the role of these regulatory proteins in short- and long-term plasticity, ranging from bioinformatics (evolutionary comparisons, extensive analysis of omics data), molecular biology, genetic manipulation, behavioral plasticity assays, semi-automated acquisition of ageing data, and confocal microscopy for cell identifications.