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.
Program in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, OK 73104, USA. James-Rand@omrf.ouhsc.edu
James B
JB
Rand
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