Ammonium-Acetate Is Sensed by Gustatory and Olfactory Neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans
Ammonium-Acetate Is Sensed by Gustatory and Olfactory Neurons in Caenorhabditis elegans
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pone.0002467
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发表时间：
2008-06-18
期刊：
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Lockery, Shawn R.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Frokjaer-Jensen, Christian;Ailion, Michael;Lockery, Shawn R.
背景：秀丽隐杆线虫的化学感觉已被成功地应用于行为分析，将挥发性和水溶性化学物质的检测视为独立的感官，类似于嗅觉和味觉。然而，与醋酸铵(NH(4)Ac)化合物吸引人的性质有关的是相当不明确的。NH(4)Ac已被用作化学感官中性化合物和引诱剂在行为分析中的应用。方法学/主要发现：在一定浓度范围内，NH(4)Ac既可作为水溶性引诱剂，也可作为气味引诱剂，而氨和醋酸分别作为嗅觉引诱剂。我们利用遗传分析表明，氯化钠和氨离子的感觉是由不同的途径介导的，而氨的感觉依赖于环核苷酸门控离子通道TAX-2/TAX-4，而醋酸盐的感觉不是。此外，醋酸钠(NaAc)和氯化铵(NH(4)Cl)分别不是Na(+)和Cl(-)的特异性刺激。结论/意义：这些发现阐明了线虫对NH(4)Ac的行为反应。这些结果应该对研究线虫体内可溶性化合物的检测和适应的化学感官实验的设计和解释产生影响。
Background: Caenorhabditis elegans chemosensation has been successfully studied using behavioral assays that treat detection of volatile and water soluble chemicals as separate senses, analogous to smell and taste. However, considerable ambiguity has been associated with the attractive properties of the compound ammonium-acetate (NH(4)Ac). NH(4)Ac has been used in behavioral assays both as a chemosensory neutral compound and as an attractant.Methodology/Main Findings: Here we show that over a range of concentrations NH(4)Ac can be detected both as a water soluble attractant and as an odorant, and that ammonia and acetic acid individually act as olfactory attractants. We use genetic analysis to show that NaCl and NH(4)Ac sensation are mediated by separate pathways and that ammonium sensation depends on the cyclic nucleotide gated ion channel TAX-2/TAX-4, but acetate sensation does not. Furthermore we show that sodium-acetate (NaAc) and ammonium-chloride (NH(4)Cl) are not detected as Na(+) and Cl(-) specific stimuli, respectively.Conclusions/Significance: These findings clarify the behavioral response of C. elegans to NH(4)Ac. The results should have an impact on the design and interpretation of chemosensory experiments studying detection and adaptation to soluble compounds in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.