Learning and learning choice in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an attractive model organism to study the behavioral plasticity for its simple system and ability to respond to diverse environmental stimuli, such as touch, smell, taste and temperature. Learning in C. elegans encompasses both non-associative learning and associative learning. Till now, themotaxis and chemotaxis are two major paradigms for associative learning and there are at least 6 forms of chemotaxis-mediated associative learning. Three research systems have also been explored to study the mechanism of learning choice in worms. This review will discuss the forms, research models, genetic and molecular regulation of learning and learning choice in C. elegans.
Ye
Hua-Yue
HY
Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China; Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease, Ministry of Education of China, Nanjing 210009, China; School of Life Sciences and Technology, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China; E-mail: dayongw@seu.edu.cn.
Ye
Bo-Ping
BP
Wang
Da-Yong
DY