male turning defective

The inability of a male to properly turn during mating behavior. In C. elegans, males typically turn via a sharp ventral arch of the tail, as he approaches either the hermaphrodite head or tail.

Y lineage variant

The descendants of the Y cell (which divides only in the males) exhibit altered developmental programs compared to their counterparts in control animals.

precise vulval location variant

Any variation in the mating process that includes the male positioning his tail precisely over the vulva so that he may insert his spicules and ejaculate compared to control. In C. elegans precise vulva location (coordinating movement and tail positioning) requires the post cloacal sensillium and the spicules.

vulva location variant

Any variation in the male's ability to locate his partner's vulva when backing along the ventral side of the partner during mating compared to control. In C. elegans the male stops at the vulva, coordinates his movements to the hermaphrodite's, and positions his tail precisely over the vulva so that he may insert his spicules and ejaculate.

biofilm absent head

Animals can move thorough a lawn of bacterially produced biofilm without accumulating an enormous amount of biofilm on its nose. When C. elegans is exposed to certain bacteria (e.g., Y. pestis), a biofilm accumulates on a worm's head. The presence of this biofilm inhibits feeding by the worm, and thereby prevents growth.

transdifferentiation defective

The conversion of one differentiated cell type into another does not occur as it does in control animals. In C. elegans, the Y cell undergoes a dramatic redifferentiation from being a cell in of the rectum to a PDA neuron. This transdifferentiation requires the cell to withdraw from its established position, migrate, and then become a motor neuron.