title: Genetic screens in Caenorhabditis elegans models for neurodegenerative diseases.
abstract: Caenorhabditis elegans comprises unique features that make it an attractive model organism in diverse fields of biology. Genetic screens are powerful to identify genes and C. elegans can be customized to forward or reverse genetic screens and to establish gene function. These genetic screens can be applied to "humanized" models of C. elegans for neurodegenerative diseases, enabling for example the identification of genes involved in protein aggregation, one of the hallmarks of these diseases. In this review, we will describe the genetic screens employed in C. elegans and how these can be used to understand molecular processes involved in neurodegenerative and other human diseases. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: From Genome to Function.
authors: University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands; Graduate Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology, Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute, University of Porto, 4099-003 Porto, Portugal.
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Sin
authors: University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors: Helen
authors: H
authors: Michels
authors: University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, European Research Institute for the Biology of Aging, 9700 AD Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: e.a.a.nollen@umcg.nl.
authors: Ellen A A
authors: EA
authors: Nollen
keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans; EMS; Genetic screen; Modifier gene; Nematode; Neurodegenerative disease; RNAi