- 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.
- 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.
- 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.