The doublecortin-related genezyg-8is a microtubule organizer inCaenorhabditis elegansneurons

Abstract

Summary Doublecortin-domain containing (DCDC) genes play key roles in the normal and pathological development of the human brain cortex. The origin of the cellular specialisation and the functional redundancy of these microtubule (MT)-associated proteins (MAPs), especially those of Doublecortin (DCX) and Doublecortin-like kinase (DCLKs) genes, is still unclear. The DCX domain has the ability to control MT architecture and bundling. However, the physiological significance of such properties is not fully understood. To address these issues, we sought post-mitotic roles for zyg-8, the sole representative of the DCX-DCLK subfamily of genes in C. elegans. Previously, zyg-8 has been shown to control anaphase-spindle positioning in one-cell stage embryos, but functions of the gene later in development have not been investigated.Here we show that wild-type zyg-8 is required beyond early embryonic divisions for proper development, spontaneous locomotion and touch sensitivity of adult worms. Consistently, we find zyg-8 expression in the six touch receptor neurons (TRNs), as well as in a subset of other neuronal and non-neuronal cells. In TRNs and motoneurons, zyg-8 controls cell body shape/polarity and process outgrowth and morphology. Ultrastructural analysis of mutant animals reveals that zyg-8 promotes structural integrity, length and number of individual MTs, as well as their bundled organisation in TRNs, with no impact on MT architecture.

Axon injury triggers EFA-6 mediated destabilization of axonal microtubules via TACC and doublecortin like kinase

“…ZYG-8 is the C. elegans ortholog of mammalian DCLK, defined by an N-terminal doublecortin domain and a C-terminal kinase domain ( Gönczy et al, 2001 ). ZYG-8 is required for spindle positioning in embryos ( Gönczy et al, 2001 ), and for normal axonal MT architecture in post-mitotic neurons ( Bellanger et al, 2012 ). TAC-1 is the sole TACC protein in C. elegans ( Bellanger and Gönczy, 2003 ; Le Bot et al, 2003 ; Srayko et al, 2003 ) and can form a complex with ZYG-8 to regulate MT assembly in embryos ( Bellanger et al, 2007 ).…”

Caenorhabditis elegansparaoxonase-like proteins control the functional expression of DEG/ENaC mechanosensory proteins

“…Immunostaining of larvae and adults was performed according to Miller and Shakes (1995 ), except for MEC-4 immunostaining, which used a mouse anti–MEC-4 antibody (ab22184; Abcam, Cambridge, MA) and was performed according to Bellanger et al. (2012 ).…”

Regulation of Mechanosensation inC. elegansthrough Ubiquitination of the MEC-4 Mechanotransduction Channel

“…Animals were stained using a polyclonal mouse-␣-MEC-4 antibody (Abcam) and a polyclonal rabbit-␣-MEC-18 antibody at 1:200 dilution (Zhang, 2004), or using a mouse anti-GFP antibody (3E6; Invitrogen) as described by Bellanger et al (2012). Whole animals were stained under permeabilized conditions.…”