title: Nematodes feel a craving--using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model to study alcohol addiction.
abstract: 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 alcoholismrelated behaviors in C. elegans.
authors.affiliation: School of Life Sciences Institute, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200092, China.
authors.forename: Geng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Fen
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D066249:Craving / Q000502:physiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels / Q000378:metabolism; D050356:Lipid Metabolism; D051938:Munc18 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000378:metabolism; D017476:Receptors, Neuropeptide Y / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020692:rab3 GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D051036:Large-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D051938:Munc18 Proteins; C468272:NPR-1 protein, C elegans; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D017476:Receptors, Neuropeptide Y; C582721:SEB-3 protein, C elegans; C494845:slo-1 protein, C elegans; D020692:rab3 GTP-Binding Proteins