The SEK-1 p38 MAP Kinase Pathway Modulates Gq Signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans

Gq is a heterotrimeric G protein that is widely expressed in neurons and regulates neuronal activity. To identify pathways regulating neuronal Gq signaling, we performed a forward genetic screen in Caenorhabditis elegans for suppressors of activated Gq. One of the suppressors is an allele of sek-1, which encodes a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) in the p38 MAPK pathway. Here, we show that sek-1 mutants have a slow locomotion rate and that sek-1 acts in acetylcholine neurons to modulate both locomotion rate and Gq signaling. Furthermore, we find that sek-1 acts in mature neurons to modulate locomotion. Using genetic and behavioral approaches, we demonstrate that other components of the p38 MAPK pathway also play a positive role in modulating locomotion and Gq signaling. Finally, we find that mutants in the SEK-1 p38 MAPK pathway partially suppress an activated mutant of the sodium leak channel, NCA-1/NALCN, a downstream target of Gq signaling. Our results suggest that the SEK-1 p38 pathway may modulate the output of Gq signaling through NCA-1(unc-77).