Nematodes feel a craving- Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to study alcohol addiction

作     者：Geng Zhu Fen Zhang Wei Li 

作者机构：School of Life Sciences InstituteTongji University 

出 版 物：《Neuroscience Bulletin》 (神经科学通报（英文版）)

年 卷 期：2014年第30卷第4期

页      面：595-600页

核心收录：

学科分类：1002[医学-临床医学] 100205[医学-精神病与精神卫生学] 10[医学] 

基　　金：supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31371489) the Shanghai Pujiang Program (13PJ1408100) the 1000 Talents Youth Program 

主　　题：C. elegans substance abuse ethanol BK channel 

摘      要：Alcohol is the most frequently-used addictive drug. However, the mechanism by which its consumption leads to addiction remains largely elusive. Given the conservation of behavioral reactions to alcohol, Caenorhabitis elegans （C. elegans） has been effectively used as a model system to investigate the relevant molecular targets and pathways mediating these responses. In this article, we review the roles of BK channels （also called SLO-1）, the lipid microenvironment, receptors, the synaptic machinery, and neurotransmitters in both the acute and chronic effects of alcohol. We provide an overview of the genes and mechanisms involved in alcoholism- related behaviors in C. elegans.