chemotaxis elegans identification attractants analysis.pdfVIP

Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 70, No. 3, pp. 817-821, March 1973 Chemotaxis by the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans: Identification of Attractants and Analysis of the Response by Use of Mutants (cAMP/anions/cations/hydroxyl ions/klinotaxis) SAMUEL WARD* Medical Research Council, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge, CB2 2QH, England Communicated by F. H. C. Crick, January 8, 1973 ABSTRACT The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is Establishment of Gradients. The two methods used for attracted by at least four classes of attractants: by cyclic studying chemosensory behavior depend upon the establish- nucleotides, cAMP and cGMP; by anions, Cl-, Br-, 1; by ment of defined and reproducible gradients of attractants. cations, Na+, Li+, K+, Mg+; and by alkaline pH values. The nematodes behavioral response to gradients of these Radial gradients were established in a thin layer of agarose attractants involves orientation and movement up the or Sephadex gel beads spread on petri-plates. The agarose or gradient, accumulation, and then habituation. Compari- gel beads stabilize the liquid against convection and also son of the tracks of wild-type and mutant animals re- provide a medium on or through which the worms move sponding to gradients of attractants indicates that sensory receptors in the head alone mediate the orientation re- rapidly. When the diffusion of 32PO4 and [14C]phenylalanine sponse and that the direction of orientation is determined were measured, the gradients established at different times by the lateral motion of the head. Therefore, the orienta- were found to decrease exponentially as predicted by theory tion response is a klinotaxis. (ref. 2; Eq. 3, 10), and the diffusion coefficients of the