The Caenorhabditis elegans unc-31 gene affects multiple nervous system-controlled functions.
We have devised a method for selecting Caenorhabditis elegans mutants that execute feeding motions in the absence of food. One mutation isolated in this way is an allele of the gene unc-31, first discovered by S. Brenner in 1974, because of its effects on locomotion. We find that strong unc-31 mutations cause defects in four functions controlled by the nervous system. Mutant worms are lethargic, feed constitutively, are defective in egg-laying and produce dauer larvae that fail to recover. We discuss two extreme models to explain this pleiotropy: either unc-31 affects one or a few neurons that coordinately control several different functions, or it affects many neurons that independently control different functions.
Avery
L
L
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 02139.
Bargmann
C I
CI
Horvitz
H R
HR
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005796:Genes; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron; D007814:Larva; D008124:Locomotion / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D008280:Magnetics; D009420:Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D010058:Oviposition / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D010609:Pharyngeal Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D010641:Phenotype
D007501:Iron