Mathews E et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Molecular Cloning and Genomic Mapping of a Calcium Channal alpha1 subunit"

Snutch TP, Mathews E

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

MOLECULAR CLONING AND GENOMIC MAPPING OF A CALCIUM CHANNEL alpha1 SUBUNIT. Eleanor Mathews and Terry P. Snutch, Biotechnology Laboratory & Dept. of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., V6T lZ3 We have previously identified and cloned a family of five distinct types of voltage gated calcium channels expressed in the mammalian central nervous system (Snutch and Reiner, Current Opinion Neurobiol. 2:247-2S3, 1992; Soong et al, Science 260:1133-1136, 1993). In addition to current structure and function studies examining exogenously expressed cloned mammalian calcium channels, there is a need to define the physiological roles of calcium channels using genetic model systems. The correlation of mutant phenotypes with defined alterations that affect electrophysiological and pharmacological properties may identify important structural components that might not be predicted using site-directed mutagenesis approaches. In addition, the genetic and molecular analysis of extragenic suppressors of calcium channel mutants will both define important interactions between calcium channel subunit proteins and also identify novel gene products that interact with the calcium channel complex. As a first step towards these goals, we have used degenerate primers homologous to cloned neuronal al subunits and the polymerase chain reaction to amplify RNA from C elegans. The resulting 327 bp fragment was used to screen the YAC grid and under high stringency conditions we identified three overlapping YACs (Y76F7, Y23A3 and Y5E3) that hybridized to the probe. Subsequently, eight cosmids underlying the YACs were screened and the PCR fragment (pCe2) localized to a single cosmid (T02C5). These experiments localize a calcium channel al subunit gene to the left arm of the X chromosome between unc-2 and dpy-3. Sequence determination of an - 2 kb portion of the cosmid and several cDNAs isolated from the Barstead library identify an ancestral al subunit that shares between 41% and 65% amino acid identity with cloned rat brain neuronal al subunits. High stringency genomic DNA and YAC blot analyses suggest that pCe2 represents a single copy element in the worm genome and does not react with loci previously identified as representing two other calcium channel al subunit genes (egl- l9 on LG IV, Lobel et al, WBG 13(2):71 and on LG II, YAC Y24Hl betweenfer-15 and rol-6, Lobel et al, WBG 13(1):46). The results suggest that similar to mammals, C elegans possesses a diverse family of voltage-gated calcium channels. Further experiments are underway to more precisely map the X- linked alpha1 subunit gene and to generate polyclonal antibodies for localization studies. In addition, a full length cDNA will be isolated in order to determine the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of the channel upon exogenous expression in Xenopus oocytes.

Shoman LM et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Worm Community System Users Envision Future Application."

Grossman E, Shoman LM, Jamison DC, Schatz BR

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Worm Community System Users Envision Future Application. Laura Shoman, Curt Jamison, Ed Grossman, Bruce Schatz, Community Systems Laboratory, National Center for Supercomputing Applications, University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign, 405 North Mathews, Urbana, IL 61801 (wcs@csl.ncsa.uiuc.edu)

Hodgkin JA et al. (1993) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Caenorhabditis Genetic Map and Nomenclature E-Mailing List"

Hodgkin JA, O'Callaghan M

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1993]

Most of the points covered in the accompanying 'Nomenclature Guidelines -- New Recommendations' contribution were circulated by e-mail before the June 1993 meeting, to principal investigators with e-mail addresses, for their comments and reactions. This procedure appeared to be efficient and helpful. We wish to expand our e-mailing list for nomenclature issues, and for recommended methods of data submission. For this reason, we sent a message in August 1993 inviting other potentially interested parties to join this list, using the e-mail addresses from the 1993 WBG Subscriber Directory. We repeat this message below, for the benefit of readers who have e-mail access but did not receive our invitation. If you are interested, send us an e-mail message asking to be added to the list. From cgc@mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk Dear WBG subscriber At present, CGC e-mail messages about methods of data submission, nomenclatorial issues and so on, are sent to all investigators with assigned lab codes (strain and allele designations) and known e-mail addresses. We would like to extend this mailing list to other interested parties who can be reached by e-mail. If you wish to be included on this expanded e-mailing list, please reply to this message, and you will be added to the list. Investigators already on the list need take no action. Regardless of whether you join the list, you will still be able to take note of any significant new recommendations, because these will be duly announced in issues of the Worm Yours sincerely, Jonathan Hodgkin Mary O'Callaghan

Prasad BC et al. (1997) Worm Breeder's Gazette "unc-3 gene encodes the C elegans homologue of the mammalian transcription factor O/E-1"

Prasad BC, Reed RR

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1997]

The mammalian olfactory system utilizes specialized signal transduction components to detect odors. These olfactory genes contain consensus sites for a family of trans-acting factors which includes Olf-1/EBF (O/E-1). The O/E-1 protein is expressed at high level in adult olfactory neurons and transiently during embryogenesis in a variety of other neuronal tissues. The laboratory is actively trying to understand the role of this family of transcription factors in mouse neurodevelopment. We have identified a C elegans homologue of the mammalian O/E-1 protein. We believe that the C elegans homologue of O/E-1 (Ce O/E-1) is encoded by the unc-3 gene, mutations in which are reported to cause all classes of motor neurons in the ventral cord to have disorganized processes and make neuro-muscular junctions at ectopic sites. We have identified point mutations in the Ce O/E-1 coding region for three unc-3 alleles. We have used GFP fusions to the promoter of the Ce O/E-1 protein and specific antibodies to the protein to study the pattern of expression. The Ce O/E-1 protein is expressed as early as bean stage and continues to be expressed in the neurons of the ventral cord and the ASI chemosensory neurons throughout development. These observations are consistent with a similar role for O/E proteins in both mice and nematodes, i.e., these transcription factors play an essential role in the determination of the terminal phenotype of neurons.

Mains PE (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Interactions Between mei-1 and the unc-116 Kinesin"

Mains PE

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Interactions Between mei-l and the unc-116 Kinesin Paul E. Mains, Dept. of Medical Biochemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Kuwabara PE (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Evidence For Interactions Between the Sex Determination and Dosage Compensation Pathways in the Germline"

Kuwabara PE

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Evidence for Interactions Between the Sex Determillation and Dosage Compensation Pathways in the Germline Patricia E. Kuwabara MRC-LMB Hills Road Cambridge CB2 2QH England

Wissmann AK et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Characterization of the let-502 Gene"

Mains PE, Wissmann AK, McGhee JD

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Characterization of the let-502 gene Andreas Wissmann, James D. McGhee and Paul E. Mains, Dept. of Medical Biochemistry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N1

Musset-Bilal F et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Characterization of the C. elegans Basement Membrane-Associated Protein SPARC"

Musset-Bilal F, Schwarzbauer JE, Ryan CS

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Characterization of the C. elegans Basement Membrane- Associated Frederique Musset-Bilal, Carol S. Ryan, and Jean E. Schwarzbauer Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544

Goldstein B (1992) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Identification of the Cues Used to Generate Blastomere Diversity:The Role of the P2-EMS Interaction in Positioning Gut Fate Into E"

Goldstein B

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1992]

The gut of C. elegans derives from all the progeny of the E cell, a cell of the eight cell stage (Sulston et al. 1983 Dev. Biol. 100:64.) In order for E to form gut, EMS must contact P2 during the four cell stage (Goldstein 1992 Nature 357:255; [See Figure].) P2 'sposition on the "E" side of EMS raises the possibility that the P2 -EMSinteraction is the cue that makes E different from MS. Alternatively, the E and MS sides may be different from each other before the P2 -EMSinteraction, such that only the E side can form gut in response to the interaction. In order to determine which is the case, I tried to move P2 to the MS side of EMS, to see if MS then forms gut. This is a particularly frustrating manipulation. A more feasible way to address the question turned out to be isolating P2 and EMS, and then placing the two cells back in contact in a random orientation. If any side of EMS can form gut in response to the interaction, then gut should always form from the daughter of EMS that contacts P2 .If however only the E side can form gut, then in some cases either gut will form from the daughter away from P2 or gut will not differentiate. Fortunately, P2 and EMS stick immediately upon contact and they do not rotate around each other when placed back together, precluding the possibility that P2 moves back to its original position. Which daughter of EMS formed gut was then determined by one of two methods: In five cases cell division times were watched to see which daughter took on E-like cell division timings, and in another five cases the daughters of EMS were separated from each other and cultured individually to see which produced gut granules. Gut differentiated from the side of EMS on which P2 was placed in all ten cases. This result indicates that any side of EMS can form gut in response to the induction, and hence that the interaction with P2 is what makes E different from MS. Current work is aimed at identifying cellular mechanisms by which the induction makes E different than MS, and determining whether cell interactions are required at other stages for gut fate to be segregated into E.

Hubbard EJA et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Genetic Analysis of sel-10."

Hubbard EJA, Greenwald IS

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Genetic analysis of sel-10 E. Jane Albert Hubbard and Iva Greenwald Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10032