42
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: not found
      • Article: not found

      C. elegans: des neurones et des gènes

      ,
      médecine/sciences
      EDP Sciences

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPubMed
      Bookmark
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          The human brain contains 100 billion neurons and probably one thousand times more synapses. Such a system can be analyzed at different complexity levels, from cognitive functions to molecular structure of ion channels. However, it remains extremely difficult to establish links between these different levels. An alternative strategy relies on the use of much simpler animals that can be easily manipulated. In 1974, S. Brenner introduced the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a model system. This worm has a simple nervous system that only contains 302 neurons and about 7,000 synapses. Forward genetic screens are powerful tools to identify genes required for specific neuron functions and behaviors. Moreover, studies of mutant phenotypes can identify the function of a protein in the nervous system. The data that have been obtained in C. elegans demonstrate a fascinating conservation of the molecular and cellular biology of the neuron between worms and mammals through more than 550 million years of evolution.

          Related collections

          Author and article information

          Journal
          médecine/sciences
          Med Sci (Paris)
          EDP Sciences
          0767-0974
          1958-5381
          June 2003
          June 2003
          : 19
          : 6-7
          : 725-734
          Article
          10.1051/medsci/20031967725
          12942444
          05bb46b5-b81c-4eed-9a2b-95f75d6d74d8
          © 2003
          History

          Comments

          Comment on this article