Both gfp reporter constructs showed identical expression patterns throughout development in the nervous system and in muscle cells. Animals with an integrated
gpb-2::gfp array showed no expression in embryos until the comma stage when broad expression was seen, excluding the dorsal posterior site of the comma stage embryo. From the comma stage onward, when tissues differentiate and become organized, until hatching of the embryos,
gpb-2 expression was stronger and broadly expressed in the head and tail ganglia. In larvae and adult animals,
gpb-2 expression was seen in most or all neurons, including neurons located in the head ganglia, the ventral nerve cord, and the tail ganglia. Additionally,
gpb-2 expression was seen in the hermaphrodite-specific neurons (HSNs), which control egg laying and the canal cell-associated neurons (CANs). Besides neuronal expression, high expression levels of
gpb-2 were also seen in muscle cells of the pharynx, the vulva muscle cells, and the body-wall muscle cells. In males, similar neuronal and muscle expression was observed. Thus,
gpb-2 is widely expressed in most neurons and in muscle cells that control several distinct behaviors.