ENU-3 is a novel outgrowth and guidance protein in c. elegans

During the development of the nervous system, the migration of many cells and axons is guided by extracellular molecules. These molecules bind to receptors at the tips of the growth cones of migrating axons and trigger intracellular signalling to steer the axons along the correct trajectories. Previous work has identified a novel mutant, enu-3 (enhancer of Unc), that enhances the motor neuron axon outgrowth defects observed in strains of Caenorhabditis elegans that lack either the UNC-5 receptor or its ligand UNC-6/Netrin, enu-3 single mutants have weak motor neuron axon migration defects. Both outgrowth defects of double mutants and axon migration defects of enu-3 mutants were rescued by expression of the H04D03.1 gene product. Enu-3/H04D03.1 encodes a novel predicted putative trans-membrane protein of 204 amino acids. ENU-3 is expressed weakly expressed in many cell bodies along the ventral cord, including those of the DA and DB motor neurons.