Acetylcholine.
Acetylcholine is the major excitatory neurotransmitter at nematode neuromuscular junctions, and more than a third of the cells in the C. elegans nervous system release acetylcholine. Through a combination of forward genetics, drug-resistance selections, and genomic analysis, mutants have been identified for all of the steps specifically required for cholinergic function. These include two enzymes, two transporters, and a bewildering assortment of receptors. Cholinergic transmission is involved, directly or indirectly, in many C. elegans behaviors, including locomotion, egg laying, feeding, and male mating.
Rand
James B
JB
Program in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA. James-Rand@omrf.ouhsc.edu
D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001692:Biological Transport; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism; D022162:Cytoplasmic Vesicles / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D011950:Receptors, Cholinergic; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D002794:Choline; D000109:Acetylcholine