Post-embryonic development in the ventral cord of Caenorhabditis elegans

56 nerve cells are added to the ventral cord and associated ganglia of Caenorhabditis elegans at about the time of the first larval moult. These cells are produced by the uniform division of 13 neuroblasts followed by a defined pattern of cell deaths. Comparison with the data in the previous paper suggests that there is a relationship between the ancestry of a cell and its function. The significance of programmed cell death is discussed.