Abstract
We have devised a method for selecting Caenorhabditis elegans mutants that execute feeding motions in the absence of food. One mutation isolated in this way is an allele of the gene unc-31, first discovered by S. Brenner in 1974, because of its effects on locomotion. We find that strong unc-31 mutations cause defects in four functions controlled by the nervous system. Mutant worms are lethargic, feed constitutively, are defective in egg-laying and produce dauer larvae that fail to recover. We discuss two extreme models to explain this pleiotropy: either unc-31 affects one or a few neurons that coordinately control several different functions, or it affects many neurons that independently control different functions.
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (3.2 MB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Avery L., Horvitz H. R. A cell that dies during wild-type C. elegans development can function as a neuron in a ced-3 mutant. Cell. 1987 Dec 24;51(6):1071–1078. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90593-9. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Avery L., Horvitz H. R. Pharyngeal pumping continues after laser killing of the pharyngeal nervous system of C. elegans. Neuron. 1989 Oct;3(4):473–485. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(89)90206-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Avery L. The genetics of feeding in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics. 1993 Apr;133(4):897–917. doi: 10.1093/genetics/133.4.897. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bargmann C. I., Horvitz H. R. Chemosensory neurons with overlapping functions direct chemotaxis to multiple chemicals in C. elegans. Neuron. 1991 Nov;7(5):729–742. doi: 10.1016/0896-6273(91)90276-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bargmann C. I., Horvitz H. R. Control of larval development by chemosensory neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans. Science. 1991 Mar 8;251(4998):1243–1246. doi: 10.1126/science.2006412. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Brenner S. The genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics. 1974 May;77(1):71–94. doi: 10.1093/genetics/77.1.71. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Desai C., Garriga G., McIntire S. L., Horvitz H. R. A genetic pathway for the development of the Caenorhabditis elegans HSN motor neurons. Nature. 1988 Dec 15;336(6200):638–646. doi: 10.1038/336638a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Golden J. W., Riddle D. L. The Caenorhabditis elegans dauer larva: developmental effects of pheromone, food, and temperature. Dev Biol. 1984 Apr;102(2):368–378. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(84)90201-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Horvitz H. R., Chalfie M., Trent C., Sulston J. E., Evans P. D. Serotonin and octopamine in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Science. 1982 May 28;216(4549):1012–1014. doi: 10.1126/science.6805073. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sulston J., Dew M., Brenner S. Dopaminergic neurons in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. J Comp Neurol. 1975 Sep 15;163(2):215–226. doi: 10.1002/cne.901630207. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Thomas J. H. Genetic analysis of defecation in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics. 1990 Apr;124(4):855–872. doi: 10.1093/genetics/124.4.855. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Trent C., Tsuing N., Horvitz H. R. Egg-laying defective mutants of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics. 1983 Aug;104(4):619–647. doi: 10.1093/genetics/104.4.619. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Waterston R. H. A second informational suppressor, SUP-7 X, in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics. 1981 Feb;97(2):307–325. doi: 10.1093/genetics/97.2.307. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]