Three new classes of mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans muscle gene sup-9

An examination of five interacting genes involved in the coordination of muscle contraction in Caenorhabditis elegans confirms the sup-9, sup-10 and unc-93 products interact as a protein complex to function in the coordination of muscle contractions. Three new classes of sup-9 alleles, which are the altered-function rubber-band, partial loss-of-function and the dominant suppressor were also identified. The allele-specific interactions revealed by the partial loss-of-function mutation prove that the products of these interacting genes may contact each other physically in a multiple subunit protein complex.