Specification of the nervous system.
Nervous systems are characterized by an astounding degree of cellular diversity. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has served as a valuable model system to define the genetic programs that serve to generate cellular diversity in the nervous system. This review discusses neuronal diversity in C. elegans and provides an overview of the molecular mechanisms that define and specify neuronal cell types in C. elegans.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA. or38@columbia.edu
Oliver
O
Hobert
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D019070:Cell Lineage; D009424:Nervous System Physiological Phenomena; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*