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PMID: 11717360 Published · ppublish English Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

The EGL-3 proprotein convertase regulates mechanosensory responses of Caenorhabditis elegans.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience ·Vol. 21 ·No. 23 ·2001-12-01 ·Pages 9265-72

Kass J, Jacob TC, Kim P, Kaplan JM

Abstract

Neuroactive peptides are packaged as proproteins into dense core vesicles or secretory granules, where they are cleaved at dibasic residues by copackaged proprotein convertases. We show here that the Caenorhabditis elegans egl-3 gene encodes a protein that is 57% identical to mouse proprotein convertase type 2 (PC2), and we provide evidence that this convertase regulates mechanosensory responses. Nose touch sensitivity (mediated by ASH sensory neurons) is defective in mutants lacking GLR-1 glutamate receptors (GluRs); however, mutations eliminating the egl-3 PC2 restored nose touch sensitivity to glr-1 GluR mutants. By contrast, body touch sensitivity (mediated by the touch cells) is greatly diminished in egl-3 PC2 mutants. Taken together, these results suggest that egl-3 PC2-processed peptides normally regulate the responsiveness of C. elegans to mechanical stimuli.

MeSH Terms
Animals Behavior, Animal/physiology Caenorhabditis elegans/physiology Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins Chromosome Mapping Cloning, Molecular Helminth Proteins/genetics,metabolism Locomotion/physiology Mechanoreceptors/physiology Molecular Sequence Data Mutagenesis, Site-Directed Neurons/physiology Organ Specificity Oviposition/physiology Physical Stimulation Proprotein Convertase 2 Receptors, AMPA Receptors, Glutamate/deficiency,physiology Subtilisins/genetics,metabolism Synapses/physiology Touch/physiology
Chemicals
Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins Helminth Proteins Receptors, AMPA Receptors, Glutamate glr-1 protein, C elegans Subtilisins EGL-3 proprotein convertase, C elegans Proprotein Convertase 2
Authors & Affiliations
4 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Kass J
Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
Jacob T C
Kim P
Kaplan J M
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Article Info
Journal
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience
Abbr.
J Neurosci
ISSN
1529-2401
Published
2001-12-01
Pages
9265-72
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
8102140
PMCID
PMC6763909
Subset
IM
Grants
NINDS NIH HHS · NS32196 · United States
External Links
PubMed source PMC Full Text View journal details
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