Neurotransmitter Specification and Regulation in Caenorhabditis Elegans

IBN 98-08861 LI （Christine）。神经系统的不同组成部分通过使用化学信使相互交流。这些化学物质被称为神经递质，在体内受到严格的调节。神经递质水平的不平衡会对动物的行为产生严重影响。例如，神经递质多巴胺水平的降低是帕金森病患者行为缺陷的基础。Christine Li博士的实验室一直在研究一个简单的模型系统——秀丽隐杆线虫（Caenorhabditis elegans）中神经递质的调节。秀丽隐杆线虫具有许多实验优势，如易于基因操作和转基因动物的产生。李博士一直在研究秀丽隐杆线虫中一种特定的神经递质家族，即“FLP神经肽”。在秀丽隐杆线虫中有超过50个相似但不同的FLP家族成员。她实验室的目标是阐明这些不同递质的功能，并确定这些化学物质是如何向神经系统的其他部分发出信号的。到目前为止，尽管不同的FLP递质在结构上存在相似性，但它们在秀丽隐杆线虫中具有不同的作用，并且存在于神经系统的不同部位。这项研究可能会深入了解哺乳动物（如人类）的同源递质的功能，并揭示这些化学物质是如何用于哺乳动物神经系统不同部分之间的交流的。

IBN 98-08861 LI (Christine). Different components of the nervous system communicate with each other through the use of chemical messengers. These chemicals, known as neurotransmitters, are strictly regulated within the body. Imbalances in the levels of neurotransmitters can have severe effects on the behavior of an animal. For instance, decreased levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine is the basis of the behavioral deficits seen in patients with Parkinson's Disease. The laboratory of Dr. Christine Li has been examining the regulation of neurotransmitters in a simple model system, the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. C. elegans offers many experimental advantages, such as ease of genetic manipulations and generation of transgenic animals. Dr. Li has been examining a specific family of neurotransmitters, the "FLP neuropeptides", in C. elegans. There are over 50 similar, but distinct members of the FLP family in C. elegans. The goal of her lab is to elucidate the function of these different transmitters and to determine how these chemicals signal to other parts of the nervous system. Thus far, it appears that despite the structural similarities between different FLP transmitters, they have different roles in C. elegans, and are present in different parts of the nervous system. This research may give insights into the function of homologous transmitters in mammals, such as humans, and reveal how these chemicals are used for communication among different parts of the mammalian nervous system.