Using C. elegans as a model for neurodegenerative diseases: Methodology and evaluation.

Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans is a nematode that has been used as an animal model for almost 50years. It has primitive and simple tissues and organs, making it an ideal model for studying neurological pathways involved in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD). C. elegans has conserved neurological pathways and is able to mimic human diseases, providing valuable insights into the human disease phenotype. This methodological review presents current approaches to generate neurodegenerative-like models of AD and PD in C. elegans, and evaluates the experiments commonly used to validate the diseases. These experimental approaches include assessing survival, fertility, mobility, electropharyngeogram assays, confocal mitochondrial imaging, RNA extraction for qRT-PCR or RT-PCR, and rate of defecation. This review also summarizes the current knowledge acquired on AD and PD using the aforementioned experimental approaches. Additionally, gaps in knowledge and future directions for research are also discussed in the review.