An Elongin-Cullin-SOCS-box Complex Regulates Stress-induced Serotonergic Neuromodulation Stress-induced Serotonergic Neuromodulation

Neuromodulatory cells transduce environmental information into long lasting behavioral responses. However, the mechanisms governing how defined neuronal cell types influence behavioral plasticity are difficult to characterize. Here we adapted the Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification (TRAP) approach in C. elegans to profile ribosome-associated mRNAs from three major tissues and the neuromodulatory dopaminergic and serotonergic cells. We identified elc-2, an Elongin C ortholog, specifically expressed in stress-sensing ADF serotonergic sensory neurons, and found that it plays a role in mediating long-lasting change in serotonin-dependent feeding behavior induced by heat stress. We demonstrate that ELC-2 and the von Hippel-Lindau protein VHL-1, components of an Elongin-Cullin-SOCS-box (ECS) E3 ubiquitin ligase, modulate this behavior after experiencing stress. Also, heat stress induces a transient redistribution of ELC-2, becoming more nuclearly enriched. Together, our results demonstrate dynamic regulation of an E3 ligase, and a role for an ECS complex in neuromodulation and control of lasting behavioral states.­ RNA-seq data of three tissues and two neuronal subtypes using the Translating Ribosome Affinity Purification Technique in C elegans