Jia Xi-Hua, Cao Cheng
Institute of Bioengineering, Academy of Military Medical Science, Beijing 100071, China.
Yao Xue Xue Bao. 2009 Jul;44(7):687-94.
A simple model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has contributed substantially to the fundamental researches in biology. In an era of functional genomics, nematode worm has been developed into a multi-purpose tool that can be exploited to identify disease-causing or disease-associated genes, validate potential drug targets. This, coupled with its genetic amenability, low cost experimental manipulation and compatibility with high throughput screening in an intact physiological condition, makes the model organism into an effective toolbox for drug discovery. This review shows the unique features of C. elegans, how it can play a valuable role in our understanding of the molecular mechanism of human diseases and finding drug leads in drug development process.
一种简单的模式生物秀丽隐杆线虫对生物学的基础研究做出了重大贡献。在功能基因组学时代，线虫已发展成为一种多功能工具，可用于鉴定致病基因或疾病相关基因、验证潜在的药物靶点。再加上其易于进行基因操作、实验操作成本低以及在完整生理条件下与高通量筛选的兼容性，使得这种模式生物成为药物发现的有效工具箱。这篇综述展示了秀丽隐杆线虫的独特特征，以及它如何在我们理解人类疾病的分子机制和在药物开发过程中寻找先导药物方面发挥重要作用。
