Caenorhabditis elegans mutants resistant to inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase
Nguyen, M.; Alfonso, A.; Johnson, C.D.; Rand, J.B.
Genetics 140(2): 527-535
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0016-6731 PMID: 7498734 Document Number: 439739
We characterized 18 genes from Caenorhabditis elegans that, when mutated, confer recessive resistance to inhibitors of acetylcholinesterase. These include previously described genes as well as newly identified genes; they encode essential as well as nonessential functions. In the absence of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, the different mutants display a wide range of behavioral deficits, from mild uncoordination to almost complete paralysis. Measurements of acetylcholine levels in these mutants suggest that some of the genes are involved in presynaptic functions.