Isolation ofCaenorhabditis elegansMutants Defective in Chemotaxis toward cAMP

Chemotactic behavior is essential for the survival of animals. However, the mechanism by which animals carry out chemotaxis is poorly understood. To explore the biochemical events underlying chemotaxis, we isolated C. elegans mutants that displayed abnormal chemotactic responses to cAMP, a strong attractant for C. elegans. Based on their responses to other chemoattractants, the mutant animals could be classified into five groups: (1) animals with defective chemotaxis to cAMP only; (2) animals with defective chemotaxis to both cAMP and cGMP; (3) animals with defective chemotaxis to water‐soluble attractants; (4) animals with defective chemotaxis to both water‐soluble and volatile attractants; and (5) animals with enhanced chemotactic responses. We expect that analyses of these mutants will help understand the molecular mechanisms underlying chemotaxis in C. elegans.