Glutamate clearance in the glia-deprived C. elegans synaptic hub

We study neuronal activity in the glia-poor C. elegans system to determine how two different classes of Glutamate Transporters (GluTs) maintain robust Glutamate clearance in the absence of anatomical separation of circuits.

Here, we show recorded activity in specific neurons expressing Ca2+-sensitive GFP (GCaMP) and Glu-sensitive GFP (iGluSnFR) reporters upon stimulation in a microfluidics system. We are also performing promoter swaps experiments for different GluTs to elucidate potential differences in functional properties. We propose that synapse location, interstitial fluid perfusion, and differences in functional properties between different GluTs allow for robust clearance without anatomical glia separation