Quantitative Mapping of a Digenic Behavioral Trait Implicates Globin Variation in C. elegans Sensory Behaviors

Patrick T. McGrath, Matthew V. Rockman, Manuel Zimmer, Heeun Jang, Evan Z. Macosko, Leonid Kruglyak, Cornelia I. Bargmann

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Most heritable behavioral traits have a complex genetic basis, but few multigenic traits are understood at a molecular level. Here we show that the C. elegans strains N2 and CB4856 have opposite behavioral responses to simultaneous changes in environmental O2 and CO2. We identify two quantitative trait loci (QTL) that affect this trait and map each QTL to a single-gene polymorphism. One gene, npr-1, encodes a previously described neuropeptide receptor whose high activity in N2 promotes CO2 avoidance. The second gene, glb-5, encodes a neuronal globin domain protein whose high activity in CB4856 modifies behavioral responses to O2 and combined O2/CO2 stimuli. glb-5 acts in O2-sensing neurons to increase O2-evoked calcium signals, implicating globins in sensory signaling. An analysis of wild C. elegans strains indicates that the N2 alleles of npr-1 and glb-5 arose recently in the same strain background, possibly as an adaptation to laboratory conditions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)692-699
Number of pages8
JournalNeuron
Volume61
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 12 2009

Keywords

  • DEVBIO
  • MOLNEURO
  • SIGNALING

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience

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