Sun, Simo et al. (2017) International Worm Meeting "Neural and molecular basis involved in low preference to Bifidobacterium infantis in Caenorhabditis elegans."

Nishikawa, Yoshikazu, Kage-Nakadai, Eriko, Sun, Simo

[International Worm Meeting, 2017]

Neural and molecular mechanisms underlying food preference have been poorly understood. We previously showed that Bifidobacterium infantis, one of the well-known probiotic bacteria, extend the lifespan of Caenorhabditis elegans (Ikeda et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 2007). In this study, we found that C. elegans exhibited low preference to B. infantis when compared with a standard food E. coli. Genetic screens identified tol-1 (a sole homolog of mammalian Toll-like receptors) and daf-16/FoxO as positive regulators of low preference to B. infantis. Worms with mutations in canonical TLR signaling molecules (pmk-3, mom-4 and ikb-1) that are employed in avoidance behavior to a pathogenic bacterium Serratia marcescens (Brand et al.,Curr. Biol., 2015) showed a normal behavior to B. infantis, suggesting alternative mechanisms. Genetic analyses revealed that the function of daf-16 isoform b in AIY neurons is responsible for the behavior to B. infantis. Because daf-16b regulates the AIY neurons morphology during development (Christensen et al., Development, 2011), daf-16b may play roles in AIY development to organize low preference to B. infantis.

Ali Khan L et al. (1997) International C. elegans Meeting "THE KINESIN SUPERFAMILY OF C. ELEGANS"

Gogonea CB, Siddiqui ZK, Shakir MA, Hori F, Hori Y, Ohnishi H, Ali Khan L, Siddiqui SS, Ali MY

[International C. elegans Meeting, 1997]

Kinesins are cytoplasmic microtubule based ATPase, that mediate intracellular transport of a variety of cargo, such as vesicles, chromosomes and morphogens in eukaryotic cells. Previously in C. elegans four genetic loci have been identified that encode members of the kinesin family, osm-3, unc-104, unc-116, and vab-8. To identify the entire kinesin gene family, we have used degenerate primers to the conserved ATP and microtubule binding sites in the motor domain of kinesins to screens C. elegans genomic and cDNA libraries. A total of 12 new kinesin genes have been identified klp-3 to klp-14, which have been mapped on different chromosomes corresponding to the cosmid clones that harbor these genes. Based on their primary sequence homology, secondary structure predictions, and the location of the motor domain within the kinesin molecule, these novel kinesins can be divided into seven distinct classes, and an outgroup. Data will be presented that may help to deduce the cellular functions of the novel kinesins during development. We thank J. Miwa, Y. Kohara, K. Nishikawa, A. Otsuka and R. Kikuno, and the nematode genome and cDNA sequencing groups for their generous support of this project.