title: ENU-3 is a novel motor axon outgrowth and guidance protein in C. elegans.
abstract: During the development of the nervous system, the migration of many cells and axons is guided by extracellular molecules. These molecules bind to receptors at the tips of the growth cones of migrating axons and trigger intracellular signaling to steer the axons along the correct trajectories. We have identified a novel mutant, enu-3 (enhancer of Unc), that enhances the motor neuron axon outgrowth defects observed in strains of Caenorhabditis elegans that lack either the UNC-5 receptor or its ligand UNC-6/Netrin. Specifically, the double-mutant strains have enhanced axonal outgrowth defects mainly in DB4, DB5 and DB6 motor neurons. enu-3 single mutants have weak motor neuron axon migration defects. Both outgrowth defects of double mutants and axon migration defects of enu-3 mutants were rescued by expression of the H04D03.1 gene product. ENU-3/H04D03.1 encodes a novel predicted putative trans-membrane protein of 204 amino acids. It is a member of a family of highly homologous proteins of previously unknown function in the C. elegans genome. ENU-3 is expressed in the PVT interneuron and is weakly expressed in many cell bodies along the ventral cord, including those of the DA and DB motor neurons. We conclude that ENU-3 is a novel C. elegans protein that affects both motor axon outgrowth and guidance.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program in Molecular Sciences, Ryerson University, Canada M5B 2K3.
authors.forename: Callista S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yee
authors.forename: Stephanie S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Sybingco
authors.forename: Viktoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Serdetchania
authors.forename: Ganna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kholkina
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bueno de Mesquita
authors.forename: Zafaryab
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Naqvi
authors.forename: Sang-Hyeon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Karmen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Marie T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Killeen
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D001483:Base Sequence; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D009154:Mutation; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C558393:enu-3 protein, C elegans