| Title: | Serotonin-deficient mutants and male mating behavior in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans |
| Address: | "Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco 94143" |
| DOI: | 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-12-05407.1993 |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 0270-6474 (Print) 1529-2401 (Electronic) 0270-6474 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Defining a behavior that requires the function of specific neurons in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can allow one to screen for mutations that disrupt the specification or function of those neurons. We identified serotonin-immunoreactive neurons required for tail curling or 'turning' behavior exhibited by C. elegans males during mating. Males mutant in three different genes that reduce serotonin expression, cat-1, cat-4, and bas-1, exhibited defects in turning behavior similar to those of wild-type males in which these neurons were ablated. The turning defect of cat-4 males was rescued by exogenous serotonin, consistent with the idea that their behavioral defect is caused by a lack of serotonin. While the serotonin-deficient mutants we analyzed shared certain behavioral traits, they were blocked for serotonin synthesis at different steps. Analysis of these and additional serotonin-deficient mutants may help us understand how a neuron controls the expression of a serotonergic phenotype" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Caenorhabditis elegans/genetics/*physiology Male *Mutation Serotonin/*metabolism *Sexual Behavior, Animal;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineLoer, C M Kenyon, C J eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S. 1993/12/01 J Neurosci. 1993 Dec; 13(12):5407-17. doi: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.13-12-05407.1993" |
