Eric J. Lambie

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences
Research Areas: Developmental Biology, Genetics

Molecular and Developmental Genetics of C. elegans

TRPM channels are evolutionarily conserved proteins that mediate the passage of cations across the plasma membrane. The in vivo functions and modes of regulation of TRPM channels are only beginning to be understood, and are thus excellent subjects for forward and reverse genetic analyses. We have determined that the C. elegans gon-2 gene encodes a TRPM channel whose function is required for the divisions of the gonadal precursors. We discovered that the addition of high levels of Mg²⁺ to the growth medium will suppress the effects of a strong loss-of-function allele of gon-2. In conjunction with other data, this suggests that gon-2 mediates the uptake of Mg²⁺ by the gonadal precursor cells and that the failure of gonadogenesis in gon-2 mutants results from cellular Mg²⁺ deficiency. We have conducted forward and reverse genetic screens to identify and begin to investigate the factors that regulate and mediate gon-2 activity. These screens have resulted in the identification of genes whose wild type function is required for normal gonad development and genes that normally antagonize gonadal cell divisions. We are currently using a combination of genetics, cell and molecular biology to determine how these genes interact with gon-2 and with each other.

Publications

Kemp, B.J., Church, D.L., Hatzold, J., Conradt, B. and Lambie, E.J. 2008 gem-1 encodes an SLC16 monocarboxylate transporter-related protein that functions in parallel to the gon-2 TRPM channel during gonad development in Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics Dec15

Lee, M,H., Ohmachi, M., Arur, S., Nayak, S., Francis, R., Church, D., Lambie, E.J. and Schedl, T. 2007 Multiple functions and dynamic activation of MPK-1 extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans germline development. Genetics Dec;177(4):2039-62.

Kemp, B.J., Hatzold, J., Sternick, L.A., Cornman-Homonoff, J., Whitaker, J.M., Tieu, P.J., and Lambie, E.J. 2007 In vivo construction of recombinant molecules within the Caenorhabditis elegans germ line using short regions of terminal homology. Nucleic Acids Res. 35(19):e133.

Chen, C.C., Schweinsberg, P.J., Vashist, S., Mareiniss, D.P., Lambie, E.J. and Grant, B.D. 2006 RAB-10 is required for endocytic recycling in the Caenorhabditis elegans intestine. Mol. Biol. Cell. Mar;17(3):1286-97

Teramoto, T., Lambie, E.J. and Iwasaki, K. 2005 Differential regulation of TRPM channels governs electrolyte homeostasis in the C. elegans intestine. Cell Metab. May;1(5):343-54.