Odorant receptor localization to olfactory cilia is mediated by ODR-4, a novel membrane-associated protein.
Seven transmembrane domain receptors can be localized to different parts of the plasma membrane or to different intracellular compartments in a receptor-specific and cell type-specific fashion. We show here that the C. elegans genes odr-4 and odr-8 are required for localization of a subset of seven transmembrane domain odorant receptors to the cilia of olfactory neurons. Other cilia-signaling proteins, including ion channels, a G alpha protein, and even other receptor types, are localized via an odr-4/odr-8-independent pathway. odr-4 encodes a novel membrane protein that is expressed exclusively on intracellular membranes of chemosensory neurons, where it acts cell-autonomously to facilitate odorant receptor folding or localization.
Dwyer
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ND
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Anatomy, The University of California, San Francisco 94143-0452, USA.
Troemel
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Sengupta
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P
Bargmann
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CI
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D002633:Chemotaxis / Q000235:genetics; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002923:Cilia / Q000737:chemistry; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017238:Genes, Helminth / Q000235:genetics; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D009812:Odorants; D018034:Olfactory Receptor Neurons / Q000737:chemistry*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D018035:Receptors, Odorant / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C109039:ODR-10 protein, C elegans; C112155:ODR-4 protein, C elegans; D018035:Receptors, Odorant; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins