Worm Breeder's Gazette 5(1): 20
These abstracts should not be cited in bibliographies. Material contained herein should be treated as personal communication and should be cited as such only with the consent of the author.
Examining unc-33 IV strains (alleles e204, e572, e735, and e1193) for defects in neuronal organization by electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy using FITC-peanut lectin to stain neurons and their processes, we have found 2 consistent absence of the four sublateral nerve cords (five fibers each) and the single fiber associated with the process of the anterior lateral microtubule neurons. The anterior and posterior lateral microtubule neurons themselves appear to be normal, The postembryonic neuron Q2.pap which normally contributes a process to the right dorsal sublateral cord frequently appears to send a process along the path of the lateral microtubule neuron process instead. Another post-embryonic cell, the posterior ventral microtubule neuron (PVM or Q1.paa) is usually normal but in about one-tenth of the animals directs its process along the path of the lateral microtubule neuron instead of the ventral cord. Thus in the absence of the unc-33 product, this neuron may behave like an embryonic neuron of similar function. These defects are shown below in diagrams representing the adult nervous system in cylindrical projection. The AVM neuron is on the right, the PVM neuron is on the left. [See Figure 1]