In this episode, we explore how Caenorhabditis elegans senses and responds to oxygen — not just by breathing, but by activating a finely tuned cGMP signalling network in real time. Using genetically encoded biosensors, researchers reveal how rising oxygen levels trigger tonic cGMP and Ca²⁺ responses in O₂-sensing neurons like PQR, and how a web of feedback loops controls these signals to shape behaviour.

We unpack:

The role of soluble guanylate cyclases in detecting O₂ How PDE-1 and PDE-2 form a push-pull system to shape cGMP signals Surprising individual variability in cGMP responses — even in identical worms Evidence for cGMP nanodomains and subcellular signal compartmentalisation How these pathways help worms make behavioural decisions in fluctuating oxygen

📖 Based on the research article: “In vivo genetic dissection of O₂-evoked cGMP dynamics in a Caenorhabditis elegans gas sensor” Africa Couto, Shigekazu Oda, Viacheslav O. Nikolaev, Zoltan Soltesz & Mario de Bono Published in PNAS (2013) 🔗 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1217428110

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