Transcription regulatory networks in Caenorhabditis elegans

Gene

Public Gene Name

ceh-14  

Sequence Name

F46C8.5  

WB ID

WBGene00000438  

Description

ceh-14 encodes a LIM homeodomain protein orthologous to Drosophila Lim3 and the vertebrate Lhx3 and Lhx4 proteins; ceh-14 is required for specification of the AFD thermosensory neurons and for normal thermotactic behavior; a ceh-14::GFP reporter fusion is expressed in head and tail neurons, including the AFD thermosensory neurons, during late embryonic, larval, and adult stages. Animals triply mutant for the LIM homeobox genes ceh-14, lin-11, and ttx-3 which are required for function of the AFD, AIZ, and AIY neurons, respectively, exhibit a basic cryophilic thermotaxis response suggesting that, in C. elegans, there is more than one pathway for integration of thermosensory input.