# RIM Mutants Occlude the Effects of Aliphatic Alcohols on C. elegans Locomotion

## TL;DR

This study shows that aliphatic alcohols affect worm movement, but not in worms with specific genetic mutations, linking liquid condensates to synaptic function.

## Contribution

The study provides in vivo evidence for the role of RIM liquid condensates in synaptic function.

## Key findings

- Aliphatic alcohols impair swimming in wild-type C. elegans.
- RIM/UNC-10 mutant strains are unaffected by aliphatic alcohols.
- The results correlate with RIM condensates' role in synaptic function.

## Abstract

Biomolecular condensates formed by liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) are emerging as a critical organizing principle for synaptic compartmentalization. Aliphatic alcohols are commonly used to disrupt LLPS in biochemical studies and in cells. Here, we tested the impact of aliphatic alcohols at the organismal level in

C. elegans

. We observe that aliphatic alcohols impair swimming behavior in wild-type controls but not in RIM/
UNC-10
mutant strains. Thus, our results suggest an
in vivo
correlate to the previously reported role of RIM liquid condensates in synaptic function in reduced systems.