A seven-transmembrane receptor that mediates avoidance response to dihydrocaffeic acid, a water-soluble repellent in Caenorhabditis elegans

• Published in: The Journal of neuroscience 2011-11, Vol.31 (46), p.16603-16610
• Main Authors: Aoki, Reina, Yagami, Tatsurou, Sasakura, Hiroyuki, Ogura, Ken-Ichi, Kajihara, Yasuhiro, Ibi, Masakazu, Miyamae, Takeaki, Nakamura, Fumio, Asakura, Taro, Kanai, Yoshikatsu, Misu, Yoshimi, Iino, Yuichi, Ezcurra, Marina, Schafer, William R, Mori, Ikue, Goshima, Yoshio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid - pharmacology; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Animals, Genetically Modified; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Caenorhabditis elegans - physiology; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - chemistry; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - genetics; Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins - metabolism; Caffeic Acids - pharmacology; Catechols - pharmacology; Cloning, Molecular - methods; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Escape Reaction - drug effects; Escape Reaction - physiology; Hydroxybenzoates; Larva; Luminescent Proteins - genetics; Luminescent Proteins - metabolism; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Membrane Potentials - drug effects; Membrane Potentials - genetics; Microinjections - methods; Models, Molecular; Mutation - genetics; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled - genetics; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled - metabolism; Sensory Receptor Cells - drug effects; Sensory Receptor Cells - physiology; Xenopus
• ISSN: 0270-6474; 1529-2401; 1529-2401
• DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.4018-11.2011

The ability to detect harmful chemicals rapidly is essential for the survival of all animals. In Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), repellents trigger an avoidance response, causing animals to move away from repellents. Dihydrocaffeic acid (DHCA) is a water-soluble repellent and nonflavonoid catecholic compound that can be found in plant products. Using a Xenopus laevis (X. laevis) oocyte expression system, we identified a candidate dihydrocaffeic acid receptor (DCAR), DCAR-1. DCAR-1 is a novel seven-transmembrane protein that is expressed in the ASH avoidance sensory neurons of C. elegans. dcar-1 mutant animals are defective in avoidance response to DHCA, and cell-specific expression of dcar-1 in the ASH neurons of dcar-1 mutant animals rescued the defect in avoidance response to DHCA. Our findings identify DCAR-1 as the first seven-transmembrane receptor required for avoidance of a water-soluble repellent, DHCA, in C. elegans.