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. 2000 Feb;154(2):635–646. doi: 10.1093/genetics/154.2.635

EAT-20, a novel transmembrane protein with EGF motifs, is required for efficient feeding in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Y Shibata 1, T Fujii 1, J A Dent 1, H Fujisawa 1, S Takagi 1
PMCID: PMC1460937  PMID: 10655217

Abstract

The pharynx of Caenorhabditis elegans is a neuromuscular organ responsible for feeding, concentrating food by its pumping movement. A class of mutants, the eat mutants, are defective in this behavior. We have identified a novel eat gene, eat-20, encoding a unique transmembrane protein with three EGF motifs. Staining with a specific polyclonal antibody reveals that EAT-20 is expressed predominantly in the pharyngeal muscles and a subset of neurons. Some hypodermal cells also express EAT-20. eat-20 mutant animals are starved, have smaller brood sizes, and have prolonged egg-laying periods. The starvation apparently results from pharyngeal pumping defects, including a reduced pumping rate and "slippery pumping," in which the contents of the pharynx sometimes move rostrally. However, electrical activity of eat-20 mutants appears normal by electropharyngeogram.

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Selected References

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