Abstract

In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, microtubules with 15 protofilaments are a specialized feature of six touch-receptor neurons; microtubules found in other C. elegans neurons have 11 protofilaments. Mutations in the gene mec-7 result in touch-insensitive animals whose touch cells lack the 15-protofilament microtubules. We have characterized 54 mutations in the mec-7 gene. The absence of mec-7 activity results selectively in the recessive loss of touch sensitivity. Partial loss-of-function alleles result in a partial loss of touch sensitivity. Dominant mutations, which are isolated at an unusually high proportion, may encode abnormal products. We have cloned the mec-7 gene; it encodes a beta-tubulin which is 90-93% identical to vertebrate beta-tubulin. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that tubulin heterogeneity contributes to the formation of structurally and functionally distinct sets of microtubules.

Keywords

Caenorhabditis elegansBiologyMicrotubuleTubulinGeneCell biologyGeneticsMutationLoss functionPhenotype

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Year
1989
Type
article
Volume
3
Issue
6
Pages
870-881
Citations
295
Access
Closed

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Cathy Savage‐Dunn, Michel Hamelin, Joseph G. Culotti et al. (1989). mec-7 is a beta-tubulin gene required for the production of 15-protofilament microtubules in Caenorhabditis elegans.. Genes & Development , 3 (6) , 870-881. https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.3.6.870

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DOI
10.1101/gad.3.6.870