The invertebrate microtubule-associated protein PTL-1 functions in mechanosensation and development in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caenorhabditis elegans</Emphasis> |
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Authors: | Patricia Gordon Lee Hingula Michelle L Krasny Jessica L Swienckowski Nancy J Pokrywka Kathleen M Raley-Susman |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Biology, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY 12604, USA |
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Abstract: | PTL-1, a microtubule-associated protein of the structural MAP2/tau family, is the sole member of this gene family in Caenorhabditis elegans. Sequence analysis of available invertebrate genomes revealed a number of single, putative tau-like genes with high similarity
to ptl-1. The ptl-1 gene is expressed in a number of cells, most notably mechanosensory neurons. We examined the role of ptl-1 in C. elegans in adult neurons as well as during development. A ptl-1 knockout strain of worms exhibited an egg-hatching defect, as well as a reduced sensitivity to touch stimuli. In addition,
the knockout allele ptl-1(ok621) acts as a dominant enhancer of several temperature-sensitive alleles of mec-7 and mec-12, which code the isoforms of β-tubulin and α-tubulin that together form the unusual 15 protofilament microtubules involved
in touch sensation. These results demonstrate for the first time a functional role for this microtubule-associated protein
in nematodes and suggest that PTL-1 is involved in mechanosensation as well as some aspect of embryogenesis. |
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Keywords: | Microtubule-associated protein Tau Caenorhabditis elegans Tubulin Neuron |
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