MUTATIONS IN THE UNC-41 GENE CAUSE ELEVATION OF ACETYLCHOLINE LEVELS

Mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans unc-41 gene result in an allel e-dependent elevation of acetylcholine content. Eight recessive allele s (cn252, e268, e399, e650, e1175, e1199, e1294, and e870) lead to phe notypes including uncoordinated locomotion, slow growth, a small matur e body, and resistance to the acetylcholinesterase inhibitors as well as the elevation of acetylcholine content. The remaining two alleles, e554 and e1162, exhibit normal acetylcholine levels but display the sh ort-body phenotype in a semidominant way. To determine the localizatio n of the elevated acetylcholine content, a method for the isolation of synaptic vesicles from C. elegans was established. The elevation of a cetylcholine content in the unc-41 mutants is accompanied by the accum ulation of synaptic vesicles. We propose that at least one function of the unc-41 gene relates to the release of neurotransmitters.