A stomatin-like protein necessary for mechanosensation in C. elegans

Nature. 1995 Nov 16;378(6554):292-5. doi: 10.1038/378292a0.

Abstract

The mec-2 gene is required for the function of a set of six touch receptor neurons in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans; mec-2 mutants, which are touch-insensitive, have touch cells that appear morphologically normal. Gene interaction studies suggest that mec-2 positively regulates the activity of the putative mechanosensory transduction channel (and the present paper), comprised in part of proteins encoded by the two degenerin genes mec-4 and mec-10 The central region of the mec-2 protein (MEC-2) is very similar to stomatin, an integral membrane protein (band 7.2b) in human red blood cells that is thought to regulate cation conductance. MEC-2-LacZ fusions are distributed along the touch receptor axons. This axonal distribution, which is mediated by the mec-2-specific amino terminus, is disrupted by mutations in mec-12, an alpha-tubulin gene needed for touch cell function. Our results indicate that MEC-2 links the mechanosensory channel and the microtubule cytoskeleton of the touch receptor neurons. Such linkage provides the basis for a mechanism of mechanosensation whereby microtubule displacement leads to channel opening.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Axons / physiology
  • Blood Proteins / chemistry
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / physiology*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins*
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Exons
  • Helminth Proteins / chemistry
  • Helminth Proteins / genetics
  • Helminth Proteins / physiology*
  • Introns
  • Mechanoreceptors / physiology*
  • Membrane Proteins / chemistry
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / physiology*
  • Microtubules / physiology
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutation
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Restriction Mapping
  • Touch / physiology

Substances

  • Blood Proteins
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Helminth Proteins
  • MEC-2 protein, C elegans
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins

Associated data

  • GENBANK/U26735
  • GENBANK/U26736