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Multifunctional motoneurons and muscles, which are active during forward and backward locomotion are ubiquitous in animal models. However, studies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans suggest that some locomotor motoneurons are necessary only for forward locomotion (dorsal B-motoneurons, DB), while others (dorsal A-motoneurons, DA) are necessary only for backward locomotion. We tested this hypothesis directly by recording the activity of these motoneurons during semirestrained locomotion. For this purpose, we used epifluorescence imaging of the genetically encoded calcium sensor cameleon, expressed in specific motoneurons, while monitoring locomotor behavior through the microscope condenser using a second camera. We found that ventral and dorsal B-motoneurons (DB and VB) were coactive during forward locomotion while ventral A-motoneurons (VA) were only active during backward locomotion. The signals we recorded correlated with the direction of locomotion but not with the faster undulatory cycles. To our knowledge, these are the first recordings of motoneuron activity in C. elegans and the only direction-dedicated motoneurons described to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mechanisms controlling the formation of synaptic connections between muscle spindle afferents and spinal motor neurons are believed to be regulated by factors originating from muscle spindles. Here, we find that the connections form with appropriate specificity in mice with abnormal spindle development caused by the conditional elimination of the neuregulin1 receptor ErbB2 from muscle precursors. However, despite a modest (~30%) decrease in the number of afferent terminals on motor neuron somata, the amplitude of afferent-evoked synaptic potentials recorded in motor neurons was reduced by ~80%, suggesting that many of the connections that form are functionally silent. The selective elimination of neurotrophin 3 (NT3) from muscle spindles had no effect on the amplitude of afferent-evoked ventral root potentials until the second postnatal week, revealing a late role for spindle-derived NT3 in the functional maintenance of the connections. These findings indicate that spindle-derived factors regulate the strength of the connections but not their initial formation or their specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]