Lastly, C. elegans has an ATXN3 orthologue, ATX-3, that shares many cellular functions (Kawaguchi et al., 1994; Rodrigues et al., 2007; Piano et al., 2002), which perhaps extend to the nervous system, making the worm an appropriate model for studying conserved pathophysiological mechanisms of MJD. This evidence concerns the gene ATXN3 and Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.