AUTHOR=Aschner Michael , Chen Pan , Martinez-Finley Ebany J., Bornhorst Julia , Chakraborty Sudipta 

TITLE=Metal-induced neurodegeneration in C. elegans

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience

VOLUME=5

YEAR=2013

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/aging-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2013.00018

DOI=10.3389/fnagi.2013.00018

ISSN=1663-4365

ABSTRACT=<p>The model species, <italic>Caenorhabditis elegans</italic>, has been used as a tool to probe for mechanisms underlying numerous neurodegenerative diseases. This use has been exploited to study neurodegeneration induced by metals. The allure of the nematode comes from the ease of genetic manipulation, the ability to fluorescently label neuronal subtypes, and the relative simplicity of the nervous system. Notably, <italic>C. elegans</italic> have approximately 60–80% of human genes and contain genes involved in metal homeostasis and transport, allowing for the study of metal-induced degeneration in the nematode. This review discusses methods to assess degeneration as well as outlines techniques for genetic manipulation and presents a comprehensive survey of the existing literature on metal-induced degeneration studies in the worm.</p>