Mutations Affecting Acetylcholine Levels in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
- 1 December 1987
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Neurochemistry
- Vol. 49 (6), 1820-1823
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.1987.tb02442.x
Abstract
Gene cha-1 .cntdot. unc-17 of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a complex gene, consisting of at least two complementation groups. One part (cha-1 region) of the gene encodes the enzyme choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), but the function of the other part (unc-17 region) is still unclear. We measured the ChAT activity and ACh levels of the cha-1 and unc-17 complex gene mutants. We show here that alterations in ACh levels, rather than the ChAT activity, reflect abnormal phenotypes accompanying cha-1 .cntdot. unc-17 mutations, that is, the decreased ACh levels in cha-1 mutations and abnormal accumulation in unc-17 mutations. Our results suggest that the unc-17 region may encode functions necessary for storage and/or release of ACh at the presynaptic level.Keywords
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