A polycystic kidney-disease gene homologue required for male mating behaviour in C. elegans

Abstract

The stereotyped mating behaviour of the Caenorhabditis elegans male is made up of several substeps: response, backing, turning, vulva location, spicule insertion and sperm transfer. The complexity of this behaviour is reflected in the sexually dimorphic anatomy and nervous system¹. Behavioural functions have been assigned to most of the male-specific sensory neurons by means of cell ablations; for example, the hook sensory neurons HOA and HOB are specifically required for vulva location². We have investigated how sensory perception of the hermaphrodite by the C. elegans male controls mating behaviours. Here we identify a gene, lov-1 (for location of vulva), that is required for two male sensory behaviours: response and vulva location. lov-1 encodes a putative membrane protein with a mucin-like, serine–threonine-rich amino terminus³ followed by two blocks of homology to human polycystins, products of the autosomal dominant polycystic kidney-disease loci PKD1 and PKD2 (ref 4). LOV-1 is the closest C. elegans homologue of PKD1. lov-1 is expressed in adult males in sensory neurons of the rays, hook and head, which mediate response, vulva location, and potentially chemotaxis to hermaphrodites, respectively^2,5. PKD-2, the C. elegans homologue of PKD2, is localized to the same neurons as LOV-1, suggesting that they function in the same pathway.