The DAF-7 TGF-β signaling pathway regulates chemosensory receptor gene expression in C. elegans

  1. Katherine M. Nolan1,2,
  2. Trina R. Sarafi-Reinach1,2,
  3. Jennifer G. Horne1,
  4. Adam M. Saffer1, and
  5. Piali Sengupta1,2,3
  1. 1Department of Biology and 2Volen Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts 02454, USA

Abstract

Regulation of chemoreceptor gene expression in response to environmental or developmental cues provides a mechanism by which animals can alter their sensory responses. Here we demonstrate a role for the daf-7 TGF-β pathway in the regulation of expression of a subset of chemoreceptor genes in Caenorhabditis elegans. We describe a novel role of this pathway in maintaining receptor gene expression in the adult and show that the DAF-4 type II TGF-β receptor functions cell-autonomously to modulate chemoreceptor expression. We also find that the alteration of receptor gene expression in the ASI chemosensory neurons by environmental signals, such as levels of a constitutively produced pheromone, may be mediated via a DAF-7-independent pathway. Receptor gene expression in the ASI and ASH sensory neurons appears to be regulated via distinct mechanisms. Our results suggest that the expression of individual chemoreceptor genes in C. elegans is subject to multiple modes of regulation, thereby ensuring that animals exhibit the responses most appropriate for their developmental stage and environmental conditions.

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Footnotes

  • 3 Corresponding author.

  • E-MAIL sengupta{at}brandeis.edu; FAX (781) 736-3107.

  • Supplemental material is available at http://www.genesdev.org.

  • Article and publication are at http://www.genesdev.org/cgi/doi/10.1101/gad.1027702.

    • Received July 29, 2002.
    • Accepted October 11, 2002.
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