Does NeuroD Influence Formation of a Neurodevelopmental Circuit?

NeuroD, a basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factor found in humans, regulates neuronal differentiation and survival. Mutations in this gene have been implicated in multiple neurological disorders, creating an imperative for further study. NeuroD is deeply conserved across phyla. This allows one to investigate NeuroD function in simple organisms such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, which has a NeuroD homolog known as cnd-1. Previous work in the Hudson lab revealed that cnd-1 controls expression of another transcription factor gene, ceh-5, which is the C. elegans ortholog of human Vax2. ceh-5 is expressed in the RME neurons and head muscles. In our study, we observed that cnd-1 mutants have missing head motor neurons, as well as a limited range of head movement. This data was collected through observation of head neurons using the RME-specific fluorescent marker unc-25p::GFP in parallel with the pan-neuronal nuclear marker prom-1::his-24::dsRED. This suggests that cnd-1 may control a neurodevelopmental circuit required for normal neuromuscular synaptogenesis and head movement