Calcineurin regulates enteric muscle contraction through EXP-1, excitatory GABA-gated channel, in C. elegans

J Mol Biol. 2005 Sep 16;352(2):313-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jmb.2005.07.032.

Abstract

The enteric muscle contraction (EMC) is the last step of the defecation behavior which occurs every 50 s in Caenorhabditis elegans. This EMC is regulated by intestinal and anal depressor muscles, which are innervated by GABA motor neurons. Our data show that calcineurin (tax-6) is expressed in intestinal muscle and anal depressor muscle, and the gain-of-function mutant of calcineurin, tax-6(jh107), shows defects in enteric muscle contractions. In addition, the intracellular region of EXP-1, an excitatory GABA receptor, specifically binds to calcineurin A. This interaction between TAX-6 and EXP-1 appears to be independent of both calcium and CNB, which is the calcium-binding regulatory subunit. Genetic evidence of epistasis between cnb-1(jh103) and exp-1(sa6) suggests that calcineurin functions as a negative regulator of excitatory GABA receptor in GABA signaling in C.elegans.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / physiology*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / physiology*
  • Calcineurin / physiology*
  • Digestive System / innervation
  • Digestive System Physiological Phenomena
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Motor Neurons / physiology
  • Muscle Contraction / physiology
  • Muscle, Smooth / innervation
  • Muscle, Smooth / physiology
  • Mutation
  • Receptors, GABA / genetics
  • Receptors, GABA / physiology*
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • EXP-1 protein, C elegans
  • Receptors, GABA
  • Calcineurin