Disruption of clh-1, a chloride channel gene, results in a wider body of Caenorhabditis elegans.
We cloned the clh-1 gene coding for a putative ClC chloride channel in Caenorhabditis elegans. The gene product exhibited a high degree of homology with human ClC-1 and ClC-2. The clh-1 gene was predominantly expressed in the hypodermis, including seam cells. Null mutations of clh-1 caused a significantly wider body and an abnormal alae structure. High osmolarity in the culture medium restored the normal body width of the clh-1 mutants. These results suggest that the clh-1 gene contributes to maintenance of the body width through regulation of osmolarity.
Petalcorin
M I
MI
Division of Biological Sciences Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, CREST of the Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Osaka, 567-0047, Japan.
Oka
T
T
Koga
M
M
Ogura
K
K
Wada
Y
Y
Ohshima
Y
Y
Futai
M
M
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D001824:Body Constitution / Q000235:genetics*; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018118:Chloride Channels / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology
C086321:CLC-1 channel; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D018118:Chloride Channels; C402825:clh-1 protein, C elegans