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Expr3088
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The reporter was reliably expressed in several easily identified cells including the paired serotonergic neurons NSM and HSN and the dopaminergic PDE postdeirid sensory neurons. NSM processes studded with varicosities were apparent in the isthmus of the pharynx labeled with GFP. The egg-laying neuron HSN normally expresses serotonin only in adulthood, and the reporter was found to be expressed in adult hermaphrodites and sometimes late L4 larvae. Often the HSN processes were apparent extending to vulval muscles and anteriorly within the ventral nerve cord. The bas-1::GFP reporter was also expressed in other neurons in the head, around the nerve ring. The reporter was expressed in probable dorsal and ventral cephalic sensilla neurons CEPD and CEPV; sometimes as many as four processes was observed extending to the tip of the nose. Expression was also seen in the anterior deirid sensory neurons ADE . Less frequently expression was seen in probable ADF and AIM neurons. As many as 12 neurons (6 bilateral pairs) was seen expressing the reporter in the head of young larvae. This includes all the identified serotonergic (NSM, ADF, AIM) and dopaminergic (CEPD, CEPV, ADE) head neurons excepting the unpaired RIH neuron. In a small number of males examined, expression was seen in male-specific serotonergic and dopaminergic neurons, including up to 6 pairs of ray sensory neurons (RNs) in both adults and late L4 larvae . (There are three pairs of serotonergic, and three pairs of dopaminergic RNs among the 18 RNs.) Expression in CP neurons, male-specific ventral cord motoneurons controlling tail curling during mating, was limited and usually weak in the male worms examined. At most three posterior cells showed staining, and usually only one or two posterior cells (CP5, CP6) weakly stained, when expression was present at all. CP staining was never seen in L4 animals, and often none even in male worms expressing GFP strongly in the RNs. |
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