Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
6
pubmed:dateCreated
2010-5-25
pubmed:abstractText
The eyeless animal C. elegans is able to sense light and engages in phototaxis behavior that is mediated by photoreceptor cells. However, the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying phototransduction in C. elegans remain largely unclear. By recording the photoreceptor neuron ASJ in wild-type and various mutant worms, we found that phototransduction in ASJ is a G protein-mediated process and requires membrane-associated guanylate cyclases, but not typical phosphodiesterases. In addition, we found that C. elegans phototransduction requires LITE-1, a candidate photoreceptor protein known to be a member of the invertebrate taste receptor family. Our genetic, pharmacological and electrophysiological data suggest a model in which LITE-1 transduces light signals in ASJ via G protein signaling, which leads to upregulation of the second messenger cGMP, followed by opening of cGMP-sensitive CNG channels and stimulation of photoreceptor cells. Our results identify a phototransduction cascade in C. elegans and implicate the function of a 'taste receptor' in phototransduction.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jun
pubmed:issn
1546-1726
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
13
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
715-22
pubmed:dateRevised
2011-5-17
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Animals, Genetically Modified, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Caenorhabditis elegans, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Cyclic GMP, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Cation Channels, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-GTP-Binding Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Guanylate Cyclase, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Light Signal Transduction, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Membrane Potentials, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Membrane Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Models, Neurological, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Nerve Tissue Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Neurons, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Photic Stimulation, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Photoreceptor Cells, Invertebrate, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Signal Transduction, pubmed-meshheading:20436480-Up-Regulation
pubmed:year
2010
pubmed:articleTitle
C. elegans phototransduction requires a G protein-dependent cGMP pathway and a taste receptor homolog.
pubmed:affiliation
Life Sciences Institute, Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, and Neuroscience Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural