An Ion Channel of the Degenerin/Epithelial Sodium Channel Superfamily Controls the Defecation Rhythm in Caenorhabditis elegans

Ultradian rhythms are widespread phenomena found in various biological organisms. A typical example is the defecation behavior of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which repeats at about 45-sec intervals. To elucidate the mechanism, we studied flr-1 mutants, which show very short defecation cycle...

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Veröffentlicht in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1998-09, Vol.95 (20), p.11775-11780
Hauptverfasser: Take-uchi, Masaya, Kawakami, Minoru, Ishihara, Takeshi, Amano, Tosikazu, Kondo, Kazunori, Katsura, Isao
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Sprache:eng
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Zusammenfassung:Ultradian rhythms are widespread phenomena found in various biological organisms. A typical example is the defecation behavior of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which repeats at about 45-sec intervals. To elucidate the mechanism, we studied flr-1 mutants, which show very short defecation cycle periods. The mutations also affect some food-related functions, including growth rate, the expulsion step of defecation behavior, and the regulation of the dauer larva (a nonfeeding, special third-stage larva) formation in the unc-3 (Olf-1/EBF homolog) background. The flr-1 gene encodes a novel ion channel belonging to the DEG/ENaC (C. elegans degenerin and mammalian epithelial sodium channel) superfamily. A flt-1::GFP (green fluorescent protein) fusion gene that can rescue the flr-1 mutant phenotypes is expressed only in the intestine from embryos to adults. These results suggest that FLR-1 may be a component of an intestinal regulatory system that controls the defecation rhythm as well as other functions.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.95.20.11775