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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Paradigms for Pharmacological Characterization of C. elegans Synaptic Transmission Mutants
Published on: August 18, 2008
The GABA nervous system in C. elegans
Kim Schuske1, Asim A Beg, Erik M Jorgensen
1Department of Biology, University of Utah, 257 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84112-0840, USA.
Abstract:
GABA neurotransmission requires a specialized set of proteins to synthesize, transport or respond to GABA. This article reviews results from a genetic strategy in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans designed to identify the genes responsible for these activities. These studies identified mutations in genes encoding five different proteins: the biosynthetic enzyme for GABA, the vesicular GABA transporter, a transcription factor that determines GABA neuron identity, a classic inhibitory GABA receptor and a novel excitatory GABA receptor. This review discusses the strategy employed to identify these genes as well as the conclusions about GABA transmission derived from study of the mutant phenotypes.
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