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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2012 Sep 4.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Metab. 2006 Apr;3(4):237–245. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2006.02.012

Figure 3.

Figure 3

Starvation and arecoline treatment cause the identical defect in pharyngeal muscles in gpb-2 mutants

A) A wild-type pharynx after 3 days of starvation as an L1 followed by recovery on E. coli seeded plates for 5 hr. The arrow indicates the grinder, a set of three wing-shaped plates in the terminal bulb. (Only two of the plates are visible in a single focal plane.) In this picture, the wild-type grinder shows a closed conformation. The plates of the grinder were fully relaxed. (A–E) Each inset is a schematic drawing of the grinder shape.

B and C) Terminal bulb and grinder plates (arrow) of gpb-2 mutants after 3 days of starvation as L1s followed by recovery on E. coli seeded plates for 5 hr. As illustrated in the insets, the grinders were hypercontracted and open. There is a range of extent of hypercontraction from full opening (B) to persistent contraction (C).

D and E) Terminal bulb and grinder plates (arrow) of gpb-2 mutants after 24 hr exposure to 5 mM arecoline on E. coli seeded plates. The same types of hypercontraction were observed. Full opening (D) and persistent contraction (E) of grinder muscle morphology are almost identical to those of 3 day-starved gpb-2 after refeeding. (Compare [D] to [B] and [E] to [C]).

F–H) A gpb-2 mutant after 3 days of starvation as an L1 followed by recovery on GFP-expressing E. coli seeded plates for 5 hr. (F) Differential interference contrast image of the whole worm. (G) Green fluorescence image of (F). Fluorescence indicates unground bacteria in the pharynx and intestine. (H) Overlay of (F) and (G).

I–K) A gpb-2 mutant after 24 hr of exposure to 5 mM arecoline on GFP-expressing E. coli seeded plates. (I) Differential interference contrast image of the whole worm. (J) Green fluorescence image of (I). Fluorescence indicates unground bacteria in the pharynx and intestine. (K) Overlay of (I) and (J).

L–N) A wild-type control after 3 days of starvation as L1 followed by recovery on GFP-expressing E. coli seeded plates for 5 hr. (L) Differential interference contrast image of the whole worm. (M) Green fluorescence image of (L). Very little fluorescence was detected from trapped GFP bacteria in the anterior terminal bulb of the pharynx and auto-fluorescence. (N) Overlay of (L) and (M).