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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Measuring Associative Learning in Chemotaxis of the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: June 17, 2025
Neuronal and intestinal protein kinase d isoforms mediate Na+ (salt taste)-induced learning
1Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
Abstract:
Ubiquitously expressed protein kinase D (PKD) isoforms are poised to disseminate signals carried by diacylglycerol (DAG). However, the in vivo regulation and functions of PKDs are poorly understood. We show that the Caenorhabditis elegans gene, dkf-2, encodes not just DKF-2A, but also a second previously unknown isoform, DKF-2B. Whereas DKF-2A is present mainly in intestine, we show that DKF-2B is found in neurons. Characterization of dkf-2 null mutants and transgenic animals expressing DKF-2B, DKF-2A, or both isoforms revealed that PKDs couple DAG signals to regulation of sodium ion (Na+)-induced learning. EGL-8 (a phospholipase Cbeta4 homolog) and TPA-1 (a protein kinase Cdelta homolog) are upstream regulators of DKF-2 isoforms in vivo. Thus, pathways containing EGL-8-TPA-1-DKF-2 enable learning and behavioral plasticity by receiving, transmitting, and cooperatively integrating environmental signals targeted to both neurons and intestine.
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