Gaspar Jekely @jekely@qoto.org

For this paper, all analyses, plots, code, figures, text and references were made in R (with some analyses in #Fiji)
and are all available on #github
https://github.com/JekelyLab/Bezares_et_al_2023_Pressure
you can clone the entire repo and open the .rproj R project
#rstats #openscience
10/9+1

Currently we are trying to understand what underlies the extreme sensitivity of the ciliary photoreceptors to pressure Stay tuned.
9/9

By #connectome analysis, we previously showed that the ciliary photoreceptors synaptically connect through interneurons to the head serotonergic ciliomotor neurons (Ser-h1). Serotonin increases ciliary beating and genetic inhibition of these cells blocked the effect of pressure on cilia, confirming that the pressure signal reaches the ciliated cells via the mapped circuit.
#connectomics
7/9

Reza Shahidi did #volumeEM on the cilia and we found defects with the ramifications.
6/9

These cells have highly ramified #cilia and express a ciliary #opsin 1. Mutant larvae lacking ciliary opsin 1 had smaller and disorganised sensory cilia and reduced pressure responses, confirming that the photoreceptors are the pressure sensors.
5/9

To identify the #neuronal mechanisms, Luis carried out #calcium #imaging experiments and found that the brain ciliary #photoreceptor cells showed graded activation by pressure stimuli.
4/9

Luis Bezares, the first author of the study, built custom pressure chambers where he could precisely control pressure levels while imaging the swimming activity of the #larvae.
Larvae showed graded and adaptable responses to relative changes in pressure. Increased pressure led to faster beating of locomotor cilia.
The larvae were extremely sensitive to pressure changes, reacting already to 10-20 mbar increase in pressure, corresponding to 10-20 cm water depth.
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