Role of gustatory neurons opposing TGF-β in regulating nictation behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway is implicated in various physiological processes, including neuronal functions. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, TGF-β plays an important role in behaviors like nictation, a behavior crucial for dispersal. Through forward mutagenesis screening, we identified tax-4, a cyclic nucleotide-gated channel, as a suppressor of nictation defects in daf-7 mutants. Further investigation revealed the role of tax-4 in gustatory neurons. Furthermore, our findings indicate that the TAX-2/TAX-4 heteromeric channel is likely to be involved in the regulation of nictation. These observations provide insights into the complexity of neuronal regulation and offer potential implications for understanding TGF-β dysregulation, which is common in many human brain diseases.