title: Modulation of EGF receptor-mediated vulva development by the heterotrimeric G-protein Galphaq and excitable cells in C. elegans.
abstract: The extent to which excitable cells and behavior modulate animal development has not been examined in detail. Here, we demonstrate the existence of a novel pathway for promoting vulval fates in C. elegans that involves activation of the heterotrimeric Galphaq protein, EGL-30. EGL-30 acts with muscle-expressed EGL-19 L-type voltage-gated calcium channels to promote vulva development, and acts downstream or parallel to LET-60 (RAS). This pathway is not essential for vulval induction on standard Petri plates, but can be stimulated by expression of activated EGL-30 in neurons, or by an EGL-30-dependent change in behavior that occurs in a liquid environment. Our results indicate that excitable cells and animal behavior can provide modulatory inputs into the effects of growth factor signaling on cell fates, and suggest that communication between these cell populations is important for normal development to occur under certain environmental conditions.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA. nmoghal@caltech.edu
authors.forename: Nadeem
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moghal
authors.forename: L Rene
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Liakot A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Kouichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iwasaki
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Sternberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012734:Disorders of Sex Development; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D014844:Vulva / Q000254:growth & development; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D020746:Calcium Channels, L-Type; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; C479565:Egl-30 protein, C elegans; C115014:bar-1 protein, C elegans; C066646:let-60 protein, C elegans; D066246:ErbB Receptors; C085873:let-23 protein, C elegans; D043802:GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits, Gq-G11; D018631:ras Proteins