Worm axon degeneration has been reported in spectrin unc-70 mutants and in a model of necrosis-induced neuron degeneration,25, 31 and overexpression of worm nmat-2 was shown to be protective against degeneration of mechanosensory neurons.25 To examine the role m-nonN-Nmnat1 in axon degeneration, we used taxol, a chemotherapeutic agent, previously shown to induce axonal degeneration in cancer patients and in experimental models.32, 33, 34 Worms hatched from taxol-containing plates had significant growth retardation that could be rescued by ub-m-nonN-Nmnat1 (Figure 5a). Here, NMNAT1 is linked to cancer.