Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, Department of Veterinary Science, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70808, USA.
Int J Obes (Lond). 2012 Feb;36(2):186-94. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2011.93. Epub 2011 May 10.
Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a small nematode that conserves 65% of the genes associated with human disease, has a 21-day lifespan, reproductive cycles of 3 days, large brood sizes, lives in an agar dish and does not require committee approvals for experimentation. Research using C. elegans is encouraged and a Caenorhabditis Genetics Center (CGC, Minnesota) is funded by the National Institutes of Health-National Center for Research Resources. Many genetically manipulated strains of C. elegans are available at nominal cost from the CGC. Studies using the C. elegans model have explored insulin signaling, response to dietary glucose, the influence of serotonin on obesity, satiety, feeding and hypoxia-associated illnesses. C. elegans has also been used as a model to evaluate potential obesity therapeutics, explore the mechanisms behind single gene mutations related to obesity and to define the mechanistic details of fat metabolism. Obesity now affects a third of the US population and is becoming a progressively more expensive public health problem. Faster and less expensive methods to reach more effective treatments are clearly needed. We present this review hoping to stimulate interest in using the C. elegans model as a vehicle to advance the understanding and future treatment of obesity.
秀丽隐杆线虫（C. elegans）是一种小型线虫，其与人类疾病相关的基因有 65%是保守的，寿命为 21 天，生殖周期为 3 天，繁殖量大，生活在琼脂盘中，且其实验不需要委员会批准。鼓励使用 C. elegans 进行研究，明尼苏达州的秀丽隐杆线虫遗传学中心（CGC）由美国国立卫生研究院国家研究资源中心资助。许多经过遗传操作的秀丽隐杆线虫品系可以以象征性的价格从 CGC 获得。使用秀丽隐杆线虫模型的研究已经探索了胰岛素信号、对膳食葡萄糖的反应、血清素对肥胖、饱腹感、进食和与缺氧相关疾病的影响。秀丽隐杆线虫还被用作评估潜在肥胖治疗药物的模型，探索与肥胖相关的单基因突变背后的机制，并定义脂肪代谢的机制细节。肥胖现在影响了美国三分之一的人口，并且正在成为一个日益昂贵的公共卫生问题。显然，需要更快、更便宜的方法来实现更有效的治疗。我们提出了这篇综述，希望能激发人们使用秀丽隐杆线虫模型来推进对肥胖的理解和未来治疗的兴趣。
