LITE-1 Mediates X-ray Avoidance Response in C. elegans

Cannon, K. E.; Ranasinghe, M.; Do, A.; Pierce, H. M.; Millhouse, P. W.; Roychowdhury, A.; Foulger, S. H.; Dobrunz, L. E.; Anker, J. N.; Bolding, M.

doi:10.1101/766568

bioRxiv · 10.1101/766568

LITE-1 Mediates X-ray Avoidance Response in C. elegans

Cannon, K. E.·Ranasinghe, M.·Do, A.·Pierce, H. M.·Millhouse, P. W.·Roychowdhury, A.·Foulger, S. H.·Dobrunz, L. E.·Anker, J. N.·Bolding, M.

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Abstract

We report the finding that C. elegans display X-ray avoidance behavior at high but well tolerated doses, and that this behavior appears to require LITE-1, a gustatory receptor that has been implicated in UV avoidance behavior. We recorded acute behavioral responses of wildtype worms to increasing intensities of X-ray stimulation and found a positive stimulation-response relationship. Mutant strains of worms with dysfunctional photoreceptor proteins LITE-1 and GUR-3 were assayed, and the X-ray avoidance response was found to be nearly absent in LITE-1 mutants but not GUR-3 mutants, suggesting a prominent role for LITE-1 in the detection of X-rays. These findings may be important for developing optogenetics tools to stimulate cells in deep tissue using X-rays, for understanding the mechanism of LITE-1 signaling, and for understanding how organisms may respond to radiation.

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Cannon, K. E., Ranasinghe, M., Do, A., Pierce, H. M., Millhouse, P. W., Roychowdhury, A., Foulger, S. H., Dobrunz, L. E., Anker, J. N., Bolding, M.. 2019-09-12. LITE-1 Mediates X-ray Avoidance Response in C. elegans. https://doi.org/10.1101/766568

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