Table 1.
Background information on candidate genes tested for ASEL/R size differences
| Reason for testing | Genes tested | Identity |
|---|---|---|
| Controls overall body and/or cell size in C. elegans [4,6,54,55] | sma-2 | Smad (TGFR signaling) |
| sma-3 | Smad | |
| sma-4 | Smad | |
| sma-5 | MAPK | |
| sma-6 | Kinase receptor | |
| lon-2 | Glypican | |
| egl-4 | cGMP-dependent kinase | |
| ncl-1 | RBP (Brat tumor suppressor) | |
| Controls cell size in C. elegans and other systems [6] | nst-1 | Nucleostemin |
| iftb-1 | eIF2B | |
| tfg-1 | TFG oncogene | |
| crh-1 | CREB/ATF-family | |
| Controls cell size in other systems [1,34,56-58] | mml-1 | Myc |
| let-60 | Ras | |
| daf-2 | Insulin/IGF-receptor | |
| ins-1 | Insulin liganda | |
| daf-18 | PTEN phosphatase | |
| let-363 | TOR kinase | |
| akt-1 | Protein kinase B | |
| akt-2 | Protein kinase B | |
| fib-1 | Fibrillarin | |
| rheb-1 | GTPase | |
| cdk-4 | Cyclin-dependent kinase | |
| Regulatory volume control in other systems | unc-43 | CaMKII |
ains-1 is only one of several insulin ligands in the worm; we specifically tested this one as it is known to be released from a postsynaptic ASE target to affect InR signaling in ASER in the context of learning and memory [59]. InR: Insulin/IGF-receptor.