Initiation of male sperm-transfer behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans requires input from the ventral nerve cord.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Caenorhabditis elegans male exhibits a stereotypic behavioral pattern when attempting to mate. This behavior has been divided into the following steps: response, backing, turning, vulva location, spicule insertion, and sperm transfer. We and others have begun in-depth analyses of all these steps in order to understand how complex behaviors are generated. Here we extend our understanding of the sperm-transfer step of male mating behavior.

Results

Based on observation of wild-type males and on genetic analysis, we have divided the sperm-transfer step of mating behavior into four sub-steps: initiation, release, continued transfer, and cessation. To begin to understand how these sub-steps of sperm transfer are regulated, we screened for ethylmethanesulfonate (EMS)

SUBMITTER: Schindelman G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1564418 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature