Transcription regulatory networks in Caenorhabditis elegans

Gene

Public Gene Name

ser-1  

Sequence Name

F59C12.2  

WB ID

WBGene00004776  

Description

ser-1 encodes a putative ortholog of mammalian 5-HT2 metabotropic serotonin receptors; SER-1 is required in both vulval muscle and neurons for the stimulation of egg-laying by serotonin (5-HT), but is completely dispensable for stimulation by the uptake inhibitor fluoxetine, and mostly dispensable for stimulation by the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine; SER-1 and SER-7 are redundantly required for normal egg-laying; SER-1 is required for normal turning during male mating, and ser-1 mutants show reduced male tail curling in exogenous 5-HT, but ser-1 males retain mating ability in the laboratory; SER-1 is weakly required for pharyngeal pumping; SER-1 is expressed in diverse neurons (head, nerve ring, vulval, ventral cord motoneurons, tail, and many others), in diverse muscles (pharyngeal, vulval, and male-specific diagonal), and in uterine cells; stimulation of heterologously expressed SER-1 induces a rise in free intracellular calcium; SER-1 has low affinity for 5-HT, and a mixture of pharmacological similarities to mammalian 5-HT1 and 5-HT2 receptors; SER-1 is stimulated by alpha-methyl-5HT, and probably antagonized by methiotheptin; SER-1 is coexpressed with MPZ-1, has a PDZ binding motif (ETFL) that aids its signalling, and binds PDZ domain 10 of MPZ-1 in vitro; SER-1's stimulation of egg-laying is impeded by mpz-1(RNAi), if and only if SER-1's ETFL motif is intact; mod-1;ser-1 double mutants subtly overbend their bodies while moving backward.