2 . Hermaphrodite signals for male mating

Caenorhabditis elegans male mating provides an excellent opportunity to determine how sensory perception regulates behavior and motor programs. The male-specific nervous system and muscles are superimposed over the general nervous system and musculature. Genetic screens and genomic approaches have identified male-specific and male-enriched genes as well as non-sex specific molecules specialized for mating sub-behaviors. In this chapter, we discuss the cellular, genetic, and molecular basis for male mating behavior. 1. Male mating behavior Copulation behavior is one of the more ancient social behaviors exhibited among metazoans. In C. elegans, the male performs most of the overt sensory and motor behaviors that occur during mating. Male mating behavior has been considered to be the most complex behavior in C. elegans; however although intricate, male mating behavior can be broken down into simpler sub-behaviors (Figure 1) that allow cellular and molecular dissection. In a