Control of type-D GABAergic neuron differentiation by C. elegans UNC-30 homeodomain protein

The Caenorhabditis elegans gene unc-30, which codes for a homeodomain protein in the inhibitory GABAergic type D motor neurons, regulates transcription in these neurons, mediating their terminal differentiation. unc-30 activates GABA expression in cells that are non-GABAergic. This gene is expressed at high levels in young larvae having a developed motor circuitry, and at low levels in older animals.