Disease relevance of lis-1

• Here we show that convulsions mimicking epilepsy can be induced by a mutation in a C. elegans lis-1 allele (pnm-1), in combination with a chemical antagonist of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter signaling [1].
• Phenotypic analysis of either nud-1 and lis-1 by RNA interference yielded similar phenotypes, including embryonic lethality, sterility, altered vulval morphology, and uncoordinated movement [2].

High impact information on lis-1

• Crosses between pnm-1 and fluorescent marker strains designed to exclusively illuminate either the processes of GABAergic neurons or synaptic vesicles surprisingly showed no deviations in neuronal architecture [1].
• lis-1 is required for dynein-dependent cell division processes in C. elegans embryos [3].
• We identified apparent null alleles of lis-1, which result in defects identical to those observed after inactivation of the dynein heavy chain dhc-1, including defects in centrosome separation and spindle assembly [3].

References