Marra MA et al. (1990) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Cloning and Sequencing the C. elegans Na+/H+ Antiporter Gene"

Clark DV, Baillie DL, Marra MA, Prasad SS

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1990]

The cosmid C11F2 has been shown to rescue two alleles of let-56, s46 and s173, using the technique of germ line transformation (1). Two adjacent PstI subclones of this cosmid detect transcripts on Northern blots. Neither of these two PstI subclones have been shown to rescue let-56. One PstI subclone (fragment 'q', see 2) detects a 2.4 kb message. This PstI subclone was used to screen a lambda gt10 cDNA library obtained from B. Meyer. This resulted in the isolation of a 1.3 kb cDNA, found to be contained entirely within fragment q. This 1. 3 kb cDNA (called 'C2'; 2) was sequenced and found to contain a single long open reading frame of approximately 1200 nucleotides. This cDNA was incomplete, representing the 3' portion of the expected message (3) . When the inferred amino acid sequence of this single long open reading frame was used to search the translated EMBL DNA databank ( release 20), significant homology was detected with the human growth factor activatable Na+/H+ antiporter protein sequence (3;4). We have commenced sequencing genomic C. elegans Na+/H+ antiporter DNA contained within a 6.2 kb HindIII fragment (called 'FH6'; 2) subcloned from fragment q. This subclone contains all of the C2 cDNA homologous region, plus an additional 800 nucleotides 5' of the C2 homologous sequence. Preliminary results indicate that the 5' end of the C. elegans Na+/H+ antiporter is not entirely contained within the additional 800 nucleotides of genomic DNA immediately upstream of the C2 homologous sequence residing within FH6. Currently, we are attempting to subclone the 5' end of the C. elegans Na+/H+ antiporter gene from fragment q. In addition, we will screen a lambda zap cDNA library obtained from B. Barstead in order to recover a full length Na+/H+ antiporter cDNA. Questions we intend to address include: (1) whether let-56 encodes the C. elegans Na+/H+ antiporter gene and (2) whether the C. elegans Na+/H+ antiporter protein is regulated in a manner similar to its human equivalent.

Thomas JH et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "lin-36, a Class B Synthetic Multivulva Gene, Encodes a Novel Protein"

Thomas JH, Horvitz HR

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

lin-36, a Class B Synthetic Multivulva Gene, Encodes a Novel Protein Jeffrey H. Thomas and H. Robert Horvitz, HHMI, Dept. Biology, MIT, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Imadzu H et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Two Tropomyosins Expressed in Body Wall and the Third Did In Pharynx of Caenorhabditis elegans"

Kagawa H, Sakube Y, Imadzu H

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

TWO TROPOMYOSINS EXPRBSSBD IN BODY WALL AND THE THIRD DID IN PHARYNX OF CAENORHABDDITIS ELEGANS. H. Imadzu, Y. Sakube and H. gagawa. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700 Japan.

Sakube Y et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "The Genome Structure and Expression of Promoter/lacZ Fusion Genes of C. elegans Ryanodine Receptor"

Imadzu H, Sakube Y, Kagawa H

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

The Genome Structure and Expression of Promoter/lacZ Fusion Genes of the C. elegans Ryanodine Receptor Y. Sakube, H. Imadzu and H. Kagawa, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University, Okayama, 700 Japan C51918@JPNKUDPC

Beitel GJ et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "An ACEDB For the Macintosh User Group"

Beitel GJ, Horvitz HR

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

An ACEDB for the Macintosh User Group Greg Beitel (BEITEL@MIT.EDU) and H. R. Horvitz, DepL Biology, MIT, Cambndge, MA 02139, USA

Ishii N et al. (1984) Worm Breeder's Gazette "sensitivity of the embryo of C elegans to X-rays."

Suzuki K, Ishii N

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1984]

Eggs isolated by the method using hyperchlorite were irradiated with X-rays after incubation for various times. The hatched worms were grown on agar plates with E. coli as food and survivors were scored for the animals reaching adulthood at 3 days after irradiation. The eggs at 2 h after egg collection were most sensitive and the D37 (dose corresponding to 37% survival) was 500 rads. The D37 of the eggs at 0, 2 and 3 h were 900, 750 and 700 rads, respectively and at 4 to 11 h were in the range from 5,000 to 8.000 rads. The eggs at 2 h was constituted of 100 to 350 cells; the number corresponding to that for the eggs of Rhabditidae tokai at 5 h, the most sensitive stage. The results showed that the eggs during the first half of embryogenesis (the stage of cell division) is about ten times more sensitive to X-irradiation than the eggs during the second half (the stage of morphogenesis). It was assumed that X-rays might influence not only cell division but also cell-cell-interactions.

Chamberlain SH et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "A Molecular Approach to Identify skn-1-Responsive Genes in the Early C. elegans Embryo"

Chamberlain SH, Bowerman BA

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

A molecular approach to identify skn-1-responsive genes in the early C. elegans embryo. Stephen H. Chamberlain and Bruce Bowerman, Institute of Molecular Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403

Huang Y-J et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "From Ascaris to C. elegans: A Way to Study Gene Structure and Function"

Tobler H, Huang Y-J, Mueller F

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

FROM ASCARIS TO C. ELEGANS: A WAY TO STUDY GENE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION Huang Y-J., Tobler H. and Muller F., Institute of Zoology, University of Pribourg, Perolles, CH-1700 Fribourg, Switzerland

Davis MW et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "eat-6 Rescue: Probably a Na/K ATPase alpha Subunit"

Davis MW, Avery L

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Mutations in eat-6 cause a distinctive pharyngeal phenotype consisting of incomplete or delayed relaxations of the corpus and terminal bulb and a reduction or lack of negative transients in the electropharyngeogram (EPG)(fig. 1). We have mapped eat-6 to the right of lin-25 by three point mapping and left of arP3 by its failure to complement arDf1 . spa-1 ,which encodes a Na/K ATPase, had been cloned by Doug Fambrough and Delores Sommerville based on its homology to vertebrate ATPases and was mapped to this region of the physical map. This caused us to wonder whether the defect in eat-6 could be a failure of the ATPase to maintain a proper resting potential and thereby to repolarize properly at the end of an action potential. To determine what effect a defect in Na/K ATPase function might have on pumping, we applied the inhibitor ouabain to dissected N2 pharynxes and recorded EPG's. This drug phenocopied the eat-6 phenotype fairly well (fig.1). Based on these results, we concentrated on injecting the cosmid R07B8 ,which should contain the entire spa-1 gene. We obtained two stably rescued lines. We have obtained several lambda clones from a genomic library using probes obtained from D. Sommerville and D. Fambrough and plan to inject these soon. Although not yet proven, it seems likely based on the phenotypes, pharmacology and molecular data that eat-6 is spa-1 and that the failure of the pharynx to repolarize following a pump is due to a reduction of the Na+ and K+ gradients across the muscle membranes.

Avery L (1995) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Effects of Conus venoms on the pharynx"

Avery L

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1995]

Cone snails are predatory snails. They harpoon their prey, which may be small fish, marine worms, or other snails, then inject a paralyzing venom through the hollow harpoon (Olivera et al, Science 249: 257). The venom is a complex mixture of tiny peptide toxins, different in each species. Several of these toxins have been shown to act on cell-surface molecules important for nervous system function such as the N-type Ca++ channel or the voltage-gated Na+ channel (Gray et al, Ann Rev Biochem 57: 665).