Genetic dissection of cell-cell interaction in neuronal patterning in C. elegans

神经元通常具有称为神经突（轴突和树突）的突起，其与邻近神经元或其他细胞连接，以通过称为突触的特殊细胞-细胞连接来传递信号。具有分支神经突的神经元通常通过避免其相邻神经元的神经突以平铺模式排列其神经突，以最大化覆盖范围，同时最小化受神经支配的区域的重叠。平铺在许多神经元中观察到，包括脊椎动物和无脊椎动物的体感和视觉系统。尽管每类神经元都利用各种机制来平铺它们的神经突，但对大多数系统中的平铺机制知之甚少。 关于神经元如何与其相邻神经元相互作用的知识的局限性主要是由于缺乏系统地标记活体动物中单个神经元的技术。 因此，我们需要开发新的系统来研究神经元间的相互作用，以充分了解神经模式形成的分子机制。

Neurons typically have projections called neurites (axons and dendrites), which are connected with neighboring neurons or other cells to pass signals via special cell-cell junction called synapses. Neurons with branched neurites often arrange their neurites in a tiled pattern by avoiding neurites of their neighboring neurons to maximize coverage while minimizing the overlap with which the territory is innervated. Tiling is observed in many neurons including the somatosensory and visual system of both vertebrates and invertebrates. Despite the notion that each class of neurons utilizes various mechanisms to tile their neurites, little is known about the tiling mechanisms in most systems. The limitation of knowledge on how neurons interact with their neighboring neurons is largely due to the lack of techniques to systematically label individual neurons in living animals. Therefore, we are in need of developing new systems to study inter-neuronal interactions to fully understand the molecular machineries of neural pattern formation.