Keeping neurons in shape with fats: an educational primer for use with “Phospholipid biogenesis maintains neuronal integrity during aging and axon regeneration”

Neurons assemble into breathtakingly intricate circuits that govern behavior and often perdure for life. How injured or aged neurons control their complex morphological connections to survive or perish remains an exciting and open question. Using the genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans, Park et al. uncover that lipid biosynthesis is critical for both neuronal regrowth after injury, and for maintaining neuronal morphology during aging. This primer is designed to help students read and understand the paper, "Phospholipid biogenesis maintains neuronal integrity during aging and axon regeneration." We emphasize the utility of model organisms, highlight the power of C. elegans neuroscience, provide background on lipids and neuron regeneration, and discuss genetic nomenclature and techniques. We then provide a set of questions for each figure in Park et al. designed to deepen students' reading of the data and text. Finally, we provide prompts to guide potential projects that students could conduct in an introductory genetics course to explore how these underappreciated fats underlie neuronal shape and function.