Transducing touch in Caenorhabditis elegans
- Creators
- Goodman, Miriam B.
- Schwarz, Erich M.
Abstract
Mechanosensation has been studied for decades, but understanding of its molecular mechanism is only now emerging from studies in Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. In both cases, the entry point proved to be genetic screens that allowed molecules needed for mechanosensation to be identified without any prior understanding of the likely components. In C. elegans, genetic screens revealed molecules needed for touch sensation along the body wall and other regions of force sensitivity. Members of two extensive membrane protein families have emerged as candidate sensory mechanotransduction channels: mec-4 and mec-10, which encode amiloride-sensitive channels (ASCs or DEG/ENaCs), and osm-9, which encodes a TRP ion channel. There are roughly 50 other members of these families whose functions in C. elegans are unknown. This article classifies these channels in C. elegans, with an emphasis on insights into their function derived from mutation. We also review the neuronal cell types in which these channels might be expressed and mediate mechanotransduction.
Additional Information
"Reprinted, with permission, from the Annual Review of Physiology, Volume 65 copyright 2003 by Annual Reviews, www.annualreviews.org" First Published online as a Review in Advance on January 9, 2002. We thank our colleagues for helpful discussions. We especially thank Juancarlos Chan for compilation of curated human sequences from NCBI's LocucLink, David Lenzi and Paul Sternberg for comments on the manuscript, and Cori Bargmann and Dan Tracey for sharing results prior to publication.Attached Files
Published - GOOarp03.pdf
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Additional details
- Eprint ID
- 1482
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:GOOarp03
- Created
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2006-01-23Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-08Created from EPrint's last_modified field