title: Chemosensory neurons with overlapping functions direct chemotaxis to multiple chemicals in C. elegans.
abstract: The functions of the 11 classes of exposed chemosensory neurons of C. elegans were tested by killing cells with a laser microbeam. One pair of neurons, the ASE neurons, is uniquely important for chemotaxis: killing the ASE neurons greatly reduced chemotaxis to cAMP, biotin, Cl-, and Na+. Additional chemosensory function is distributed among several other cell types. Thus, 3 pairs of chemosensory neurons (ADF, ASG, and ASI) contribute to a residual response to cAMP, biotin, Cl-, and Na+ after ASE is killed. Chemotaxis to lysine similarly depends on the partly redundant functions of 4 pairs of chemosensory neurons (ASE, ASG, ASI, and ASK). The combined activity of several neuron types that act in parallel might increase the fidelity of chemotaxis.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
authors.forename: C I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Bargmann
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Horvitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001710:Biotin / Q000494:pharmacology; D002107:Caenorhabditis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000502:physiology*; D000242:Cyclic AMP / Q000494:pharmacology; D004573:Electrolytes / Q000494:pharmacology; D007834:Lasers; D009475:Neurons, Afferent / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects
chemical_list: D004573:Electrolytes; D001710:Biotin; D000242:Cyclic AMP