The claim that genetic properties of
neurons significantly influence their
synaptic network structure is a common notion in neuroscience. The nematode Caenorhabditis
elegans provides an exciting opportunity to approach this question in a large-scale quantitative manner. Its synaptic
connectivity network has been identified, and, combined with cellular studies, we currently have characteristic connectivity and gene expression signatures for most of its neurons. By using two complementary analysis assays we show that the expression signature of a neuron carries significant information about its synaptic connectivity signature, and identify a list of putative genes predicting neural connectivity. The current study rigorously quantifies the
relation between gene expression and synaptic connectivity signatures in the C. elegans nervous system and identifies subsets of neurons where this relation is highly marked. The results presented and the genes identified provide a promising starting point for further, more detailed computational and experimental investigations.