Schmeisser Kathrin, Parker J Alex
Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montreál (CRCHUM), 900 St-Denis Street, Montreál, Queb́ec H2X 0A9, Canada.
Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montreál (CRCHUM), 900 St-Denis Street, Montreál, Queb́ec H2X 0A9, Canada; Department of Neuroscience, Université de Montreál, 2960 Chemin de la Tour, Montreál, Queb́ec H3T 1J4, Canada.
Exp Neurol. 2018 Jan;299(Pt A):199-206. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2017.04.007. Epub 2017 Apr 20.
The small non-parasitic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is widely used in neuroscience thanks to its well-understood development and lineage of the nervous system. Furthermore, C. elegans has been used to model many human developmental and neurological conditions to better understand disease mechanisms and identify potential therapeutic strategies. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is the most prevalent of all neurodevelopmental disorders, and the C. elegans system may provide opportunities to learn more about this complex disorder. Since basic cell biology and biochemistry of the C. elegans nervous system is generally very similar to mammals, cellular or molecular phenotypes can be investigated, along with a repertoire of behaviours. For instance, worms have contributed greatly to the understanding of mechanisms underlying mutations in genes coding for synaptic proteins such as neuroligin and neurexin. Using worms to model neurodevelopmental disorders like ASD is an emerging topic that harbours great, untapped potential. This review summarizes the numerous contributions of C. elegans to the field of neurodevelopment and introduces the nematode system as a potential research tool to study essential roles of genes associated with ASD.
小型非寄生线虫秀丽隐杆线虫因其神经系统发育和谱系易于理解，在神经科学中得到广泛应用。此外，秀丽隐杆线虫已被用于模拟多种人类发育和神经疾病，以更好地理解疾病机制并确定潜在的治疗策略。自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是所有神经发育障碍中最常见的，秀丽隐杆线虫系统可能为深入了解这种复杂疾病提供机会。由于秀丽隐杆线虫神经系统的基本细胞生物学和生物化学与哺乳动物总体上非常相似，因此可以研究细胞或分子表型以及一系列行为。例如，线虫对理解编码突触蛋白（如神经连接蛋白和接触蛋白）的基因突变背后的机制做出了巨大贡献。利用线虫模拟ASD等神经发育障碍是一个新兴话题，具有巨大的未开发潜力。本综述总结了秀丽隐杆线虫对神经发育领域的众多贡献，并介绍了线虫系统作为研究与ASD相关基因重要作用的潜在研究工具。
