WormMine: ExpressionPattern Expr11232

• Pattern: In transgenic animals expressing Pgar-3::gfp, fluorescence was detected in body wall and pharynx muscles, as well as in motor neurons of the ventral nerve cord. GFP fluorescence was detected in all cholinergic motor neurons of the ventral nerve cord but not in GABAergic motor neurons.
• Primary Identifier: Expr11232
• Subcellular Localization: GAR-3-GFP fluorescence was not detected in axons in single-copy transgenic animals (0 of 15 axons) and was rarely detected in axons of multicopy animals (3 of 23 axons). GAR-3-GFP was also not detected in dendrites of single-copy transgenic animals, and was occasionally detected in proximal dendrites of multicopy animals (data not shown). When axonal or dendritic GAR-3-GFP fluorescence was detected, it adopted a diffuse pattern of localization. Based on these results, the authors conclude that GAR-3 is highly enriched in cholinergic motor neuron cell bodies, where it asymmetrically distributes to the dorsal surfaces, but is likely to be very low or absent from neuronal processes. GAR-3-GFP fluorescence was observed in the ventral nerve cord and in motor neuron cell bodies in discrete patches that run parallel to the ventral nerve cord. In motor neurons, GAR-3-GFP primarily localized to narrow regions that extended longitudinally along the dorsal side of each motor neuron cell body. This pattern is suggestive of cell surface localization of GAR-3-GFP because the fluorescent regions were found on the outer edge of cell bodies marked by soluble mCherry. Similar localization patterns were observed in DA/DB motor neurons of animals expressing single-copy GAR-3-gfp (by MosSCI insertion of Punc-129::GAR-3-gfp). In body wall muscles, GAR-3-GFP fluorescence was also asymmetrically distributed at sites of contact between muscle cells, on muscle arms, and in postsynaptic regions where muscle arms contact the dorsal and ventral nerve cords. GAR-3-GFP localization was not asymmetric early in development (asymmetry ratio 1.19 +/- 0.6 in the L3 stage), but it became asymmetric starting at the L4 stage (3.25 +/- 0.34) and maintained asymmetry in adults. GAR-3-GFP on muscle membranes was visible in young animals (L3 stage) and appeared enhanced in older animals.

5 Anatomy Terms

Definition	Name	Synonym	Primary Identifier
a large process bundle that runs along the vental mid-line extending from the ventral region of the nerve ring.	ventral nerve cord	ventral cord	WBbt:0005829
type of cells that make up muscle layers in the pharynx.	pharyngeal muscle cell		WBbt:0005451
Longitudinal bands of muscle cells surrounding animal body, with one band running in each quadrant of the body, regulated contraction and relaxation of these muscles cause locomotion.	body wall musculature	body muscle	WBbt:0005813
neuron making synapse on an effector (muscle, gland).	motor neuron	motoneuron	WBbt:0005409
neuron that uses vesicular acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter.	cholinergic neuron	ACh neuron	WBbt:0006840

1 Genes

WormBase Gene ID	Gene Name	Sequence Name	Organism
WBGene00001519	gar-3	Y40H4A.1	Caenorhabditis elegans

0 Life Stages