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21 (5): 986-994

Copyright © 2002 by the European Molecular Biology Organization.

The G-protein {gamma} subunit gpc-1 of the nematode C.elegans is involved in taste adaptation

Gert Jansen1, David Weinkove2,3, and Ronald H.A. Plasterk2

MGC Department of Cell Biology and Genetics and Centre for Biomedical Genetics, Erasmus University Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam and 2Hubrecht Laboratory and Centre for Biomedical Genetics, Uppsalalaan 8, 3584 CT Utrecht, The Netherlands 3Present address: Department of Cellular Biochemistry, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands 1Corresponding author e-mail: jansen{at}ch1.fgg.eur.nl

Abstract: Caenorhabditis elegans has two heterotrimeric G-protein {gamma} subunits, gpc-1 and gpc-2. Although GPC-1 is specifically expressed in sensory neurons, it is not essential for the detection of odorants or salts. To test whether GPC-1 is involved in sensory plasticity, we developed a water soluble compound adaptation assay. The behaviour of wild-type animals in this assay confirms that prolonged exposure to salts can abolish chemo-attraction to these compounds. This process is time and concentration dependent, partly salt specific and reversible. In contrast, gpc-1 mutant animals show clear deficits in their ability to adapt to NaAc, NaCl and NH4Cl, but normal wild-type adaptation to odorants. Two other loci previously implicated in odorant adaptation, adp-1 and osm-9, are also involved in adaptation to salts. Our finding that G proteins, OSM-9 and ADP-1 are involved in taste adaptation offer the first molecular insight into this process.

Key Words: Keywords: adaptation/Caenorhabditis elegans/ G proteins/taste

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Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882