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Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Determining Genetic Expression Profiles in C. elegans Using Microarray and Real-time PCR
Published on: July 30, 2011
Dissecting the genetic landscape of GPCR signaling through phenotypic profiling in C. elegans
Longjun Pu1,2,3, Jing Wang1,2,3, Qiongxuan Lu1,2,3
1Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Abstract:
G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate responses to various extracellular and intracellular cues. However, the large number of GPCR genes and their substantial functional redundancy make it challenging to systematically dissect GPCR functions in vivo. Here, we employ a CRISPR/Cas9-based approach, disrupting 1654 GPCR-encoding genes in 284 strains and mutating 152 neuropeptide-encoding genes in 38 strains in C. elegans. These two mutant libraries enable effective deorphanization of chemoreceptors, and characterization of receptors for neuropeptides in various cellular processes. Mutating a set of closely related GPCRs in a single strain permits the assignment of functions to GPCRs with functional redundancy. Our analyses identify a neuropeptide that interacts with three receptors in hypoxia-evoked locomotory responses, unveil a collection of regulators in pathogen-induced immune responses, and define receptors for the volatile food-related odorants. These results establish our GPCR and neuropeptide mutant libraries as valuable resources for the C. elegans community to expedite studies of GPCR signaling in multiple contexts.
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