/NeuroD1 Functions with the Homeobox Gene /Vax2 and Hox Gene /labial To Specify Aspects of RME and DD Neuron Fate in .

Identifying the mechanisms behind neuronal fate specification are key to understanding normal neural development in addition to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and schizophrenia. cell fate specification is difficult to study in vertebrates. However, the nematode , with its invariant cell lineage and simple nervous system of 302 neurons, is an ideal organism to explore the earliest stages of neural development.