Ikeda DD, Duan Y, Matsuki M, Kunitomo H, Hutter H, Hedgecock EM, Iino Y. CASY-1, an ortholog of calsyntenins/alcadeins, is essential for learning in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2008 Apr 1;105(13):5260-5. PubMed.
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Assistant Professor
The authors introduce an intriguing and novel thought on the memory concept in C. elegans. Their major findings in the rudimentary learning behavior of C. elegans, genetic screening for learning mutants and its genetic interaction analysis suggesting proteolytic processing of CASY-1 chiefly involved in learning deficits, are of real interest. Specifically, the conservation pattern in the phylogenetic tree and as a precursor to a learning-modulating neurohormone is of specific interest for recent research.
The main aspects to be understood are as follows:
- The role of APP (ortholog of the human cadherin-like synaptic proteins that have been implicated in memory in humans, and in amyloid precursor protein processing) on tau in disrupting memory concepts of worms. There is a lot of debate on these proteins and their role in cognitive dysfunction and memory loss.
- APP tested in worms will then serve as a suitable model to understand the above phenomenon that will help in interlinking the results with the Alzheimer’s condition.
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