title: TMC-1 attenuates C. elegans development and sexual behaviour in a chemically defined food environment.
abstract: Although diet affects growth and behaviour, the adaptive mechanisms that coordinate these processes in non-optimal food sources are unclear. Here we show that the C. elegans tmc-1 channel, which is homologous to the mammalian tmc deafness genes, attenuates development and inhibits sexual behaviour in non-optimal food, the synthetic CeMM medium. In CeMM medium, signalling from the pharyngeal MC neurons and body wall muscles slows larval development. However, in the non-standard diet, mutation in tmc-1 accelerates development, by impairing the excitability of these cells. The tmc-1 larva can immediately generate ATP when fed CeMM, and their fast development requires insulin signalling. Our findings suggest that the tmc-1 channel indirectly affects metabolism in wild-type animals. In addition to regulating the development, we show that mutating tmc-1 can relax diet-induced inhibition of male sexual behaviour, thus indicating that a single regulator can be genetically modified to promote growth rate and reproductive success in new environments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, 3258 TAMU College Station, Texas 77843-3258, USA.
authors.forename: Liusuo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, 3258 TAMU College Station, Texas 77843-3258, USA.
authors.forename: Daisy G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Gualberto
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, 3258 TAMU College Station, Texas 77843-3258, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, 3258 TAMU College Station, Texas 77843-3258, USA.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, 3258 TAMU College Station, Texas 77843-3258, USA.
authors.forename: Changhoon
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Texas A&M University, 3258 TAMU College Station, Texas 77843-3258, USA.
authors.forename: L Rene
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D059329:Cholinergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D007328:Insulin / Q000378:metabolism; D007473:Ion Channels / Q000502:physiology*; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D010100:Oxygen / Q000737:chemistry; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010614:Pharynx / Q000473:pathology; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D007328:Insulin; D007473:Ion Channels; C578678:TMC-1 protein, C elegans; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D010100:Oxygen