A single gene target of an ETS-family transcription factor determines neuronal CO2-chemosensitivity

TY - JOUR

T1 - A single gene target of an ETS-family transcription factor determines neuronal CO2-chemosensitivity

AU - Brandt, Julia P

AU - Aziz-Zaman, Sonya

AU - Juozaityte, Vaida

AU - Martinez-Velazquez, Luis A

AU - Petersen, Jakob Gramstrup

AU - Pocock, Roger David John

AU - Ringstad, Niels

PY - 2012/3/29

Y1 - 2012/3/29

N2 - Many animals possess neurons specialized for the detection of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), which acts as a cue to elicit behavioral responses and is also an internally generated product of respiration that regulates animal physiology. In many organisms how such neurons detect CO(2) is poorly understood. We report here a mechanism that endows C. elegans neurons with the ability to detect CO(2). The ETS-5 transcription factor is necessary for the specification of CO(2)-sensing BAG neurons. Expression of a single ETS-5 target gene, gcy-9, which encodes a receptor-type guanylate cyclase, is sufficient to bypass a requirement for ets-5 in CO(2)-detection and transforms neurons into CO(2)-sensing neurons. Because ETS-5 and GCY-9 are members of gene families that are conserved between nematodes and vertebrates, a similar mechanism might act in the specification of CO(2)-sensing neurons in other phyla.

AB - Many animals possess neurons specialized for the detection of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), which acts as a cue to elicit behavioral responses and is also an internally generated product of respiration that regulates animal physiology. In many organisms how such neurons detect CO(2) is poorly understood. We report here a mechanism that endows C. elegans neurons with the ability to detect CO(2). The ETS-5 transcription factor is necessary for the specification of CO(2)-sensing BAG neurons. Expression of a single ETS-5 target gene, gcy-9, which encodes a receptor-type guanylate cyclase, is sufficient to bypass a requirement for ets-5 in CO(2)-detection and transforms neurons into CO(2)-sensing neurons. Because ETS-5 and GCY-9 are members of gene families that are conserved between nematodes and vertebrates, a similar mechanism might act in the specification of CO(2)-sensing neurons in other phyla.

KW - Alleles

KW - Animals

KW - Behavior, Animal

KW - Binding Sites

KW - Caenorhabditis elegans

KW - Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins

KW - Carbon Dioxide

KW - Gene Deletion

KW - Gene Expression Regulation

KW - Guanylate Cyclase

KW - Microscopy, Fluorescence

KW - Mutation

KW - Neurons

KW - Plasmids

KW - Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets

KW - Receptors, Guanylate Cyclase-Coupled

KW - Sensory Receptor Cells

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0034014

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0034014

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 22479504

SN - 1932-6203

VL - 7

SP - e34014

JO - PLoS Computational Biology

JF - PLoS Computational Biology

IS - 3

ER -