Effect of 60 Hz magnetic fields on social feeding behavior of npr-1 receptor mutants in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Previous studies indicated that magnetic fields (MF) could alter the conformation of membrane proteins such as some drug influx transporters and affect their function. In this study, we focused on two mutants of npr-1 receptor gene related to feeding behavior in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) to investigate the effect of 60 Hz, 50 mT MF on a receptor in neurotransmission. The wild-type laboratory strain Bristol N2 in C. elegans forages solitary on the E. coli lawn, whereas npr-1 mutant of N2 aggregate on food and take on social feeding behavior because of its altered function. Under MF exposure, the number of aggregates exhibiting social feeding behavior on two mutants, IM222 and DA609, was decreased by 40% and 25%, respectively. Meanwhile, npr-1 is not involved in the behavior to attractant diacetyl in C. elegans, and the moving speed and reach rate to attractant in two mutants was not affected by MF exposure for up to 90 min. The results indicate that MF can affect the altered function of NPR-1 in mutant strains and partially change the feeding behaviour of the npr-1 mutants from social to solitary. Furthermore, considering the position of these amino acid substitutions in NPR-1 mutant receptors, the extracellular parts of membrane protein may be more affected by MF than the transmembrane part.