Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.
Modulation of EGF receptor-mediated vulva development by the heterotrimeric G-protein Gq and excitable cells in C. elegans
Nadeem Moghal1,*,,
L. Rene Garcia2,*,,
Liakot A. Khan3,,
Kouichi Iwasaki3, and
Paul W. Sternberg1
1 Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Division of Biology, California Institute
of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA 2 Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, 3258 TAMU, College Station,
TX 77843, USA 3 Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Neuroscience Research Institute AIST,
Tsukuba, 305-8566, Japan
Authors for correspondence (e-mail:
nmoghal{at}caltech.edu
and
rgarcia{at}mail.bio.tamu.edu)
Accepted for publication 12 June 2003.
Abstract:
The extent to which excitable cells and behavior modulate animal
developmenthas not been examined in detail. Here, we demonstrate the
existenceof a novel pathway for promoting vulval fates in C. elegans
thatinvolves activation of the heterotrimeric Gq protein, EGL-30.
EGL-30acts with muscle-expressed EGL-19 L-type voltage-gated calciumchannels
to promote vulva development, and acts downstream orparallel to LET-60 (RAS).
This pathway is not essential forvulval induction on standard Petri plates,
but can be stimulatedby expression of activated EGL-30 in neurons, or by an
EGL-30-dependentchange in behavior that occurs in a liquid environment. Our
resultsindicate that excitable cells and animal behavior can provide
modulatoryinputs into the effects of growth factor signaling on cell fates,
andsuggest that communication between these cell populations isimportant for
normal development to occur under certain environmentalconditions.
Key Words: EGF • Muscle • Neurons • Behavior • Vulva • G protein
The editors suggest the following Related Resources on Science sites:
An Activating Mutation in sos-1 Identifies Its Dbl Domain as a Critical Inhibitor of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Pathway during Caenorhabditis elegans Vulval Development.
K. Modzelewska, M. G. Elgort, J. Huang, G. Jongeward, A. Lauritzen, C. H. Yoon, P. W. Sternberg, and N. Moghal (2007)
Mol. Cell. Biol.
27, 3695-3707
|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
Genome-wide prediction of C. elegans genetic interactions..
Integration of Male Mating and Feeding Behaviors in Caenorhabditis elegans.
T. R. Gruninger, D. G. Gualberto, B. LeBoeuf, and L. R. Garcia (2006)
J. Neurosci.
26, 169-179
|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
Caenorhabditis elegans G{alpha}q Regulates Egg-Laying Behavior via a PLC{beta}-Independent and Serotonin-Dependent Signaling Pathway and Likely Functions Both in the Nervous System and in Muscle.
C. A. Bastiani, S. Gharib, M. I. Simon, and P. W. Sternberg (2003)
Genetics
165, 1805-1822
|Abstract »|Full Text »|PDF »
q and excitable cells in C. elegans
,
L. Rene Garcia2
,
Kouichi Iwasaki3, and
Paul W. Sternberg1
q protein, EGL-30.
EGL-30 acts with muscle-expressed EGL-19 L-type voltage-gated calcium channels
to promote vulva development, and acts downstream or parallel to LET-60 (RAS).
This pathway is not essential for vulval induction on standard Petri plates,
but can be stimulated by expression of activated EGL-30 in neurons, or by an
EGL-30-dependent change in behavior that occurs in a liquid environment. Our
results indicate that excitable cells and animal behavior can provide
modulatory inputs into the effects of growth factor signaling on cell fates,
and suggest that communication between these cell populations is important for
normal development to occur under certain environmental conditions. 
