The Enigmatic Canal-Associated Neurons Regulate Larval Development Through a cAMP Signaling Pathway.

larval development requires the function of the two Canal-Associated Neurons (CANs): killing the CANs by laser microsurgery or disrupting their development by mutating the gene results in early larval arrest. How these cells promote larval development, however, remains a mystery. In screens for mutations that bypass CAN function, we identified the gene , which encodes a member of the Salt-Inducible Kinase (SIK) family and a component of a conserved pathway that regulates various phenotypes.

Regulation of Axon Guidance by the Wnt Receptor Ror/CAM-1 in the PVT Guidepost Cell in .

The ventral nerve cord (VNC) consists of two asymmetric bundles of neurons and axons that are separated by the midline. How the axons are guided to stay on the correct sides of the midline remains poorly understood. Here we provide evidence that the conserved Wnt signaling pathway along with the Netrin and Robo pathways constitute a combinatorial code for midline guidance of PVP and PVQ axons that extend into the VNC.