# Glial ion channels in glia/neurons interactions

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $372,238

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Touch is essential for our survival and for social bonding, and in disrupted in many forms of injuries and
disease states. Despite its fundamental importance, touch transduction remains one of the least understood
signaling processes, both at the cellular and molecular levels. Touch is mediated by receptors imbedded in the
skin, most of which are composed of nerve endings and accessory glial or epithelial cells. Groundbreaking
work on the mammalian Merkel cells complex demonstrated that the epithelial cell, rather than the neuron, is
the primary sensory cell. However, little is known about the contribution of glia to the function of other touch
receptors, including the Pacinian and Meissner’s corpuscles. If glia of touch receptors are found to sense and
mediate the transduction of mechanical forces, this finding would constitute a paradigm shift and may suggest
these cells as novel targets for the treatment of conditions in which touch is disrupted. My lab has dedicated
the last 16 years to the study of glia/neuron cross talk using the pioneering model organism C. elegans. We
found that Amphid glial cells (Amsh) of the worm nose touch receptor complex respond to touch by rise of
intracellular Ca2+ and Cl-. These results suggest that Amsh glia may be endowed with mechanisms that detect
mechanical forces. Furthermore, we found that Ca2+ responses in Amsh glia temporally precede neuronal Ca2+
responses, raising the intriguing possibility that glia might be the primary sensory cells. The goal of this
proposal is to leverage C. elegans genetics, in vivo Ca2+ and Cl- imaging tools, and straightforward behavioral
assays to dissect from gene to behavior glial mechanosensitivity and glia/neuron cross talk in the worm nose
touch receptor. Our inter-related but independent aims are: 1) To determine what mediates Ca2+ transients in
Amsh glia upon touch stimulation and their function in touch, 2) To identify mechanisms of glia/neuron
crosstalk in touch receptors, and 3) To determine what mediates Amsh glial Cl- changes upon touch
stimulation and their function in touch. Pioneering work in mammals has advanced our understanding of touch
sensation. However, progress has been hindered by the difficulty of harvesting touch receptors from the skin
and the complexity of the mammalian system. I have now the unprecedented opportunity to capitalize on this
previous work to explore a new area in the field using the genetically amenable and more tractable model C.
elegans. My work is likely to reveal general principles of glial function and glia/neuron crosstalk relevant to
other sensory systems and other parts of the nervous system.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10876992
- **Project number:** 5R01NS105616-07
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Laura Bianchi
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $372,238
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2028-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10876992

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10876992, Glial ion channels in glia/neurons interactions (5R01NS105616-07). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10876992. Licensed CC0.

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