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Updated: May 12, 2026

Osmotic Avoidance in Caenorhabditis elegans: Synaptic Function of Two Genes, Orthologues of Human NRXN1 and NLGN1, as Candidates for Autism
Published on: December 12, 2009
HEN-1, a secretory protein with an LDL receptor motif, regulates sensory integration and learning in Caenorhabditis
Takeshi Ishihara1, Yuichi Iino, Akiko Mohri
1Structural Biology Center, National Institute of Genetics, Mishima, Japan. tishihar@lab.nig.ac.jp
Abstract:
Animals sense many environmental stimuli simultaneously and integrate various sensory signals within the nervous system both to generate proper behavioral responses and also to form relevant memories. HEN-1, a secretory protein with an LDL receptor motif, regulates such processes in Caenorhabditis elegans. The hen-1 mutants show defects in the integration of two sensory signals and in behavioral plasticity by paired stimuli, although their sensation capability seems to be identical to that of the wild-type. The HEN-1 protein is expressed in two pairs of neurons, but expression in other neurons is sufficient for wild-type behavior. In addition, expression of HEN-1 at the adult stage is sufficient. Thus, HEN-1 regulates sensory processing non-cell-autonomously in the mature neuronal circuit.
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