Type: Sensory neuron (mechanosensory)
In MoW: AVM
Male Wiring Project: AVM
In Wormbase: AVM
Lineage: QR.paa
Location: Lateral. Right side of the anterior
half of the body.
Description: Postembryonically born anterior ventral microtubule cell, touch receptor
Neurotransmitter/ Neuropeptide:
- Glutamate
(Lee et al., 1999)

Innexin expression:
- INX-7
- UNC-9
(Altun et al., 2009)
Receptor expression:
- PDFR-1; pigment dispersing factor (PDF-1) receptor
(Barrios et al., 2012)
Function:
- Along with ALM and PLM, AVM neurons sense gentle (low threshold) mechanical stimulus to the body and provide input to the command (inter) neurons (PVC, AVB, AVD, AVA) via both synaptic connections and gap junctions (see mechanosensory circuit in C.elegans Book II). The touch cells form gap junctions with agonist interneurons and chemical synapses with the antagonist interneurons (see locomotory circuit). Hence, in the neural cicuit of the escape response, the anterior touch cells ALML/R and AVM form gap junctions with the backward movement interneuron AVD, but they provide (inhibitory) synaptic input to the forward interneurons (AVB and PVC) (see circuit for escape response in Pirri and Alkema, 2011.)
(Goodman, 2006; Chalfie et al.,1985; Kaplan and Driscoll, 1997)