SER-1, a Caenorhabditis elegans 5-HT2-like receptor, and a multi-PDZ domain containing protein (MPZ-1) interact in vulval muscle to facilitate serotonin-stimulated egg-laying

Dev Biol. 2006 Oct 15;298(2):379-91. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.06.044. Epub 2006 Jun 30.

Abstract

Serotonin (5-HT) stimulation of egg-laying in Caenorhabditis elegans is abolished in ser-1 (ok345) animals and is rescued by ser-1 expression in vulval muscle. A PDZ binding motif (ETFL) at the SER-1 C-terminus is not essential for rescue, but facilitates SER-1 signaling. SER-1 binds specifically to PDZ domain 10 of the multi-PDZ domain protein, MPZ-1, based on GST pulldown and co-immunoprecipitation. mpz-1 is expressed in about 60 neurons and body wall and vulval muscles. In neurons, GFP-tagged MPZ-1 is punctate and colocalizes with the synaptic marker, synaptobrevin. The expression patterns of ser-1 and mpz-1 overlap in 3 pairs of neurons and vulval muscle. In addition, MPZ-1 also interacts with other GPCRs with acidic amino acids in the -3 position of their PDZ binding motifs. mpz-1 RNAi reduces 5-HT stimulated egg-laying in wild type animals and in ser-1 mutants rescued by muscle expression of SER-1. In contrast, mpz-1 RNAi has no effect on 5-HT stimulated egg-laying in ser-1 mutants rescued by expression of a truncated SER-1 that lacks the C-terminal PDZ binding motif. The overexpression of MPZ-1 PDZ domain 10 also inhibits 5-HT stimulated egg-laying. These studies suggest that the SER-1/MPZ-1 interaction facilitates SER-1 mediated signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / physiology*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / physiology*
  • Eggs
  • Female
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Muscles / metabolism*
  • Muscles / physiology
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • RNA Interference
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT2 / genetics
  • Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT2 / metabolism
  • Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT2 / physiology*
  • Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
  • Serotonin / pharmacology*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Vulva / metabolism
  • Vulva / physiology

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled
  • Receptors, Serotonin, 5-HT2
  • SER-1 protein, C elegans
  • Serotonin