Figure 4. smg-8 is not required for endogenous NMD in C. elegans.

(A) unc-54 gene schematic. The r293 allele contains a 256 bp deletion within unc-54 that includes the 3′ cleavage and polyadenylation site. (B) smg-8(tm2937) or smg-1(r861) mutations were combined with unc-54(r293). Two worms were placed in the middle of the bacterial lawn and allowed to crawl for 45 minutes. Wild-type worms that crawl (top left) leave tracks in the lawn whereas unc-54(r293) mutants cannot move well (top right). smg-1(r861) suppresses unc-54(r293) mRNA degradation and restores movement [3] (bottom left). In contrast, smg-8 does not suppress the paralysis phenotype (bottom right). Arrowheads indicate the tracks left by paralyzed worms.