A nervous system-wide analysis of C. elegans homeobox gene function

项目总结 虽然常见的、进化上保守的早期神经元模式在发育过程中的主题 多年来，胚胎已经出现，但到目前为止，还没有关于如何 神经元获得并维持其终末分化状态。我们建议在这里测试 假设线虫的每个神经元类别都是唯一定义的-并且在功能上 由神经元类别特定的转录因子组合指定，其中至少有一种 转录因子是一种同源结构域型转录因子。发现同源域 转录因子控制着简单神经系统中所有神经元的身份， 范围对我们理解神经系统的进化的影响，并可能提供 对哺乳动物神经系统中的神经元进行分类(然后对其进行功能研究)的方法。

PROJECT SUMMARY While common, evolutionarily conserved themes of early neuronal patterning in the developing embryo have emerged over the years, there are, as of now, no common organizational themes for how neuron acquire and maintain their terminally differentiated state. We propose to test here the hypothesis that each neuron class of the nematode C.elegans is uniquely defined – and functionally specified – by a neuron class-specific combination of transcription factors, with at least one of the transcription factors being a homeodomain-type transcription factor. The finding that homeodomain transcription factors control the identity of all neurons in a simple nervous system would have wide- ranging implications for our understanding of evolution of the nervous system and may provide means to classify (and then functionally study) neuron classes in mammalian nervous systems.