Probable transcription factor which represses gene expression in a subset of ventral nerve cord neurons (PubMed:21596899). Involved in regulating programmed cell death and determining cell fate during development, acting in a partially redundant manner with lin-39 to repress the BH3 domain-encoding gene egl-1 in the VA and VB motor neurons (PubMed:21596899). Expressed in embryos, larvae and adults (PubMed:21596899). Expression begins in multiple cells in embryos, reaching a maximum in the L1-L2 larval stages (PubMed:21596899). Expressed in the ventral nerve cord VA and VB neurons, but not in the VC neurons (PubMed:21596899). RNAi-mediated knockdown on a ced-3 mutant background results in ectopic egl-1 expression in posterior ventral nerve cord neurons (PubMed:21596899). RNAi-mediated knockdown on a simultaneous lin-39; ced-3 mutant background results in ectopic egl-1 expression in midbody and posterior ventral nerve cord neurons (PubMed:21596899). Belongs to the E2F/DP family.