SPECIFICATION OF THERMOSENSORY NEURONS IN C ELEGANS

Brandeis University, Waltham MA

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Abstract

Each sensory neuron (eg. visual, olfactory, gustatory, thermosensory) is uniquely identified by its sensory properties. This specificity is mediated by the expression of specific combinations of receptors and signal transduction molecules in each sensory neuron. I am interested in understanding how a sensory neuron acquires and regulates its characteristic properties using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. C. elegans responds to chemical and environmental cues using a few well-defined sensory neurons. I propose to examine the mechanisms by which the fates and functions of the thermosensory neurons are specified, as defined by expression of in vivo markers specific to these sensory cells. My goal is to identify genes that work in a cascade to direct expression of these molecules to the thermosensory neurons. This research will allow us to understand the mechanisms that generate sensory neuron diversity, and should have broader implications in elucidating how the nervous system develops and functions.