Activity of the Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-86 POU transcription factor modulates olfactory sensitivity.
نویسندگان
چکیده
The activity of transcription factors modulates several neural pathways that mediate complex behaviors. We describe here the role of the POU transcription factor UNC-86 in the olfactory behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans. unc-86-null mutants are defective in response to odor attractants but avoid odor repellents normally. Continuous UNC-86 activity is necessary for maintenance of odortaxis behavior; hyperactivation of UNC-86 by fusion to a VP16 activation domain dramatically enhances sensitivity to odor attractants and promotes odor-attractant adaptation. UNC-86 is not expressed in olfactory sensory neurons but is expressed throughout the life of the animal in the AIZ interneurons of the odorsensory pathway. We suggest that UNC-86 transcriptional activity regulates the expression of genes that mediate synaptic properties of AIZ and that hyperactive UNC-86::VP16 may enhance the expression of synaptic components to affect the capacity to analyze and process sensory information.
منابع مشابه
Caenorhabditis elegans has three POU homeobox genes, unc-86, ceh-6 and ceh-18. ceh-6 is the ortholog of vertebrate Brn1, Brn2, SCIP/Oct6 and Brn4 and fly Cf1a/drifter/ventral veinless. Comparison of C. elegans and C. briggsae CEH-6
Homeobox genes are a group of transcription factors that play important roles in development (for a review see Bürglin, 1995; Gehring et al., 1994). One particular class, the POU class of homeobox genes, was first defined by the transcription factors Pit1, Oct1, Oct2, and the Caenorhabditis elegans developmental control gene unc-86 (Herr et al., 1988). Since the initial identification of the PO...
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عنوان ژورنال:
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
دوره 100 16 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2003