Phosphodiesterases Regulate C. elegans Bitter Taste Avoidance

Cyclic nucleotides (cAMP, cGMP) are critical second messengers that transduce diverse signaling events within cells, ranging from developmental processes and neuronal signaling to roles in cellular growth (Fajardo et al., 2014; Galande & Cote, 2025; Levy et al., 2011). Thus, the regulation of cyclic nucleotide levels is critical for the regulation of signal transduction pathways and cellular homeostasis.  We previously reported a role for cGMP in the negative regulation of bitter taste avoidance in C. elegans (Chaubey et al., 2023; Krzyzanowski et al., 2013; Krzyzanowski et al., 2016).  Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are a class of enzymes that break down cyclic nucleotides, and we show here that multiple PDEs likely work together to modulate C. elegans bitter taste sensitivity.