Journal
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
Volume 291, Issue 45, Pages 23618-23627Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M116.741132
Keywords
bacterial pathogenesis; Caenorhabditis elegans (C; elegans); chemotaxis; G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR); signal transduction; 2-heptanone; chemotaxis response; co-evolution; microbial pathogens; olfactory pathway
Categories
Funding
- National Basic Research Program of China [2013CB127500]
- National Natural Science Foundation Program of China [31370162, 31460024]
- Department of Science and Technology of Yunnan Province, China [2014FA019]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits behavioral responses to a wide range of odorants associated with food and pathogens. A previous study described a Trojan Horse-like strategy of pathogenesis whereby the bacterium Bacillus nematocida B16 emits the volatile organic compound 2-heptanone to trap C. elegans for successful infection. Here, we further explored the receptor for 2-heptanone as well as the pathway involved in signal transduction in C. elegans. Our experiments showed that 2-heptanone sensing depended on the function of AWC neurons and a GPCR encoded by str-2. Consistent with the above observation, the HEK293 cells expressing STR-2 on their surfaces showed a transient elevation in intracellular Ca2+ levels after 2-heptanone applications. After combining the assays of RNA interference and gene mutants, we also identified the G subunits and their downstream components in the olfactory signal cascade that are necessary for responding to 2-heptanone, including G subunits of egl-30 and gpa-3, phospholipase C of plc-1and egl-8, and the calcium channel of cmk-1 and cal-1. Our work demonstrates for the first time that an integrated signaling pathway for 2-heptanone response in C. elegans involves recognition by GPCR STR-2, activation by G subunits of egl-30/gpa-3 and transfer to the PLC pathway, indicating that a potentially novel olfactory pathway exists in AWC neurons. Meanwhile, since 2-heptanone, a metabolite from the pathogenic bacterium B. nematocida B16, can be sensed by C. elegans and thus strongly attract its host, our current work also suggested coevolution between the pathogenic microorganism and the chemosensory system in C. elegans.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available