gar-3 encodes a G protein-linked muscarinic acetylcholine receptor; GAR-3 activity is required for regulation of membrane potential and excitation-contraction coupling in pharyngeal muscle and thus, for normal feeding behavior; in regulating pharyngeal pumping, GAR-3 likely acts upstream of GPB-2, a G-protein beta-subunit; GAR-3 also acts cell-autonomously in motor neurons to recruit the SPHK-1 sphingosine kinase to presynaptic acetylcholine release sites; a gar-3::gfp reporter fusion is expressed in the I3 pharyngeal neuron, extrapharyngeal neurons, and in pharyngeal muscles, where expression is highest in the terminal bulb.
Enables G protein-coupled acetylcholine receptor activity. Involved in several processes, including G protein-coupled acetylcholine receptor signaling pathway; positive regulation of acetylcholine secretion, neurotransmission; and positive regulation of protein localization to synapse. Located in plasma membrane. Expressed in body wall musculature; linker cell; neurons; non-striated muscle; and somatic nervous system. Human ortholog(s) of this gene implicated in several diseases, including Chagas disease; autoimmune disease of the nervous system (multiple); and lung disease (multiple). Is an ortholog of human CHRM1 (cholinergic receptor muscarinic 1); CHRM3 (cholinergic receptor muscarinic 3); and CHRM5 (cholinergic receptor muscarinic 5).
Map position created from combination of previous interpolated map position (based on known location of sequence) and allele information. Therefore this is not a genetic map position based on recombination frequencies or genetic experiments. This was done on advice of the CGC.