title: The Caenorhabditis elegans R13A5.9 gene plays a role in synaptic vesicle exocytosis.
abstract: The Caenorhabditis elegans R13A5.9 gene encodes a putative membrane protein with homologs in mammals. When the R13A5.9 protein was fused to different fluorescent proteins, signal was observed in or near synaptic vesicles; thus, we sought to determine whether this gene plays a role in synaptic vesicle formation, function, or exocytosis. R13A5.9 mutant worms exhibited low sensitivity to aldicarb (an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor), which suggested that vesicular loading or release, or acetylcholine synthesis, was disrupted in these organisms. This was supported by the observation that an R13A5.9 mutant strain exhibited an excessive accumulation of synaptic vesicles. Collectively, these results suggest a functional role for R13A5.9 in synaptic vesicle exocytosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Iwate University, 4 Ueda, Morioka, Iwate 020-8551, Japan. Electronic address: ogurusu@iwate-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Tarou
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ogurusu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Iwate University, 4 Ueda, Morioka, Iwate 020-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakata
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Iwate University, 4 Ueda, Morioka, Iwate 020-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Tokumitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Iwate University, 4 Ueda, Morioka, Iwate 020-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, Iwate University, 4 Ueda, Morioka, Iwate 020-8551, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryuzo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shingai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000235:genetics*; D005089:Exocytosis / Q000235:genetics*; D017238:Genes, Helminth; D009154:Mutation; D013572:Synaptic Vesicles / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Aldicarb resistance; C. elegans; R13A5.9; Synaptic vesicle exocytosis