Expression of the Wnt target gene
mab-5 was examined in Q neuroblasts after initial migration but before Q.d cell migration. Expression of
mab-5 was quantified using smFISH in Q neuroblasts and was plotted against the position of the Q neuroblasts on the anteroposterior axis. In wild type animals,
mab-5 was expressed at an average of 30 ± 7.1 (mean ± SD, n = 32) transcripts per cell in QL, and 3 ± 2.9 transcripts per cell in QR (n = 28). We found that the average
mab-5 expression level was similar in QL and QR (p > 0.1, t-test). Importantly, we observed that
mab-5 expression correlated with the position of the Q neuroblasts on the anteroposterior axis after initial migration. Thus,
mab-5 transcript counts were significantly higher in posteriorly positioned Q neuroblasts than in Q neuroblasts that had migrated toward the anterior.