Control of Male Mating Behavior in C. elegans.

California Institute Of Technology, Pasadena CA

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Abstract

Neurological disease effects a large number of people in a broad range of age groups. A key step to understanding and curing these disorders is to determine the mechanisms controlling neural function. One of the most interesting questions in the field of neurobiology is how behavior is generated. The model organism C. elegans will be used to address this question as it has a simple and well characterized nervous system as well as other tools which will facilitate research. Specifically, a pathway will be defined that regulates male response to the hermaphrodite during mating. Genetic, molecular and ablation studies will be done to determine the neurons, neurotransmitters and signaling pathways mediating this behavior. Lessons learned from this study will both expand our knowledge of how behavior is generated and also of the general mechanisms controlling neural function.