TY - JOUR
T1 - The Claudin Superfamily Protein NSY-4 Biases Lateral Signaling to Generate Left-Right Asymmetry in C. elegans Olfactory Neurons
AU - VanHoven, Miri K.
AU - Bauer Huang, Sarah L.
AU - Albin, Stephanie D.
AU - Bargmann, Cornelia I.
N1 - Funding Information:
We especially thank Kang Shen for his generosity in hosting M.K.V. during part of this work. We thank A. Sagasti, C. Chuang, K. Shen, G. Maro, M. Ding, D. Colón-Ramos, S. Venkatasubrahmanyam, S. McCarroll, M. Gallegos, S. Shaham, M. Hilliard, Y. Zhang, M. Tsunozaki, Y. Saheki, B. Lesch, J. Kennerdell, A. Kahn-Kirby, N. Pokala, and A. Chang for comments, advice, and reagents; Y. Kohara for cDNAs; A. Fire for vectors; and T. Stiernagle of the Caenorhabditis Genetic Center for strains. This work was supported by NIDCD/NIH grant DC004089. M.K.V. was a National Science Foundation predoctoral fellow. C.I.B. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.
PY - 2006/8/3
Y1 - 2006/8/3
N2 - Early in C. elegans development, signaling between bilaterally symmetric AWC olfactory neurons causes them to express different odorant receptor genes. AWC left-right asymmetry is stochastic: in each animal, either the left or the right neuron randomly becomes AWCON, and the other neuron becomes AWCOFF. Here we show that the nsy-4 gene coordinates the lateral signaling that diversifies AWCON and AWCOFF neurons. nsy-4 mutants generate 2 AWCOFF neurons, as expected if communication between the AWC neurons is lost, whereas overexpression of nsy-4 results in 2 AWCON neurons. nsy-4 encodes a transmembrane protein related to the γ subunits of voltage-activated calcium channels and the claudin superfamily; it interacts genetically with calcium channels and antagonizes a calcium-to-MAP kinase cascade in the neuron that becomes AWCON. Genetic mosaic analysis indicates that nsy-4 functions both cell-autonomously and nonautonomously in signaling between AWC neurons, providing evidence for lateral signaling and feedback that coordinate asymmetric receptor choice.
AB - Early in C. elegans development, signaling between bilaterally symmetric AWC olfactory neurons causes them to express different odorant receptor genes. AWC left-right asymmetry is stochastic: in each animal, either the left or the right neuron randomly becomes AWCON, and the other neuron becomes AWCOFF. Here we show that the nsy-4 gene coordinates the lateral signaling that diversifies AWCON and AWCOFF neurons. nsy-4 mutants generate 2 AWCOFF neurons, as expected if communication between the AWC neurons is lost, whereas overexpression of nsy-4 results in 2 AWCON neurons. nsy-4 encodes a transmembrane protein related to the γ subunits of voltage-activated calcium channels and the claudin superfamily; it interacts genetically with calcium channels and antagonizes a calcium-to-MAP kinase cascade in the neuron that becomes AWCON. Genetic mosaic analysis indicates that nsy-4 functions both cell-autonomously and nonautonomously in signaling between AWC neurons, providing evidence for lateral signaling and feedback that coordinate asymmetric receptor choice.
KW - DEVBIO
KW - MOLNEURO
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33746367119&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.06.029
DO - 10.1016/j.neuron.2006.06.029
M3 - Article
C2 - 16880124
AN - SCOPUS:33746367119
SN - 0896-6273
VL - 51
SP - 291
EP - 302
JO - Neuron
JF - Neuron
IS - 3
ER -