Deficiency in RCAT-1 Function Causes Dopamine Metabolism Related Behavioral Disorders in .

When animals are faced with food depletion, food search-associated locomotion is crucial for their survival. Although food search-associated locomotion is known to be regulated by dopamine, it has yet to investigate the potential molecular mechanisms governing the regulation of genes involved in dopamine metabolism (e.g., ) and related behavioral disorders. During the studies of the pheromone ascaroside, a signal of starvation stress in we identified R02D3.7, renamed (regulator of genes-), which had previously been shown to bind to regulatory sequences of both and genes. It was found that RCAT-1 (R02D3.7) is expressed in dopaminergic neurons and functions as a novel negative transcriptional regulator for and genes. When a food source becomes depleted, the null mutant, , exhibited an increased frequency of high-angled turns and intensified area restricted search behavior compared to the wild-type animals. Moreover, also showed defects in state-dependent olfactory adaptation and basal slowing response, suggesting that the mutants are deficient in either sensing food or locomotion toward food. However, has normal cuticular structures and locomotion genes. The discovery of not only identifies a new subtype of dopamine-related behaviors but also provides a potential therapeutic target in Parkinson's disease.