Two neuronal G proteins are involved in chemosensation of the Caenorhabditis elegans Dauer-inducing pheromone.
Caenorhabditis elegans uses chemosensation to determine its course of development. Young larvae can arrest as dauer larvae in response to increasing population density, which they measure by a nematodeexcreted pheromone, and decreasing food supply. Dauer larvae can resume development in response to a decrease in pheromone and increase in food concentration. We show here that two novel G protein alpha subunits (GPA-2 and GPA-3) show promoter activity in subsets of chemosensory neurons and are involved in the decision to form dauer larvae primarily through the response to dauer pheromone. Dominant activating mutations in these G proteins result in constitutive, pheromone-independent dauer formation, whereas inactivation results in reduced sensitivity to pheromone, and, under certain conditions, an alteration in the response to food. Interactions between gpa-2, gpa-3 and other genes controlling dauer formation suggest that these G proteins may act in parallel to regulate the neuronal decision making that precedes dauer formation.
Zwaal
R R
RR
The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Division of Molecular Biology, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Mendel
J E
JE
Sternberg
P W
PW
Plasterk
R H
RH
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000196:embryology / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D010675:Pheromones / Q000502:physiology*
D010675:Pheromones; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins