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. 2007 Jan 30:1–21. doi: 10.1895/wormbook.1.131.1

Acetylcholine.

James B Rand
PMCID: PMC4781110  PMID: 18050502

Abstract

Acetylcholine is the major excitatory neurotransmitter at nematode neuromuscular junctions, and more than a third of the cells in the C. elegans nervous system release acetylcholine. Through a combination of forward genetics, drug-resistance selections, and genomic analysis, mutants have been identified for all of the steps specifically required for cholinergic function. These include two enzymes, two transporters, and a bewildering assortment of receptors. Cholinergic transmission is involved, directly or indirectly, in many C. elegans behaviors, including locomotion, egg laying, feeding, and male mating.


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