Are worm models of human neurodegenerative diseases a good idea?
Although invertebrate model systems (e.g., C. elegans or Drosophila) have significant experimental advantages, it is not self-evident that they are good approaches to study human neurodegeneration. As detailed below for C. elegans, there is strong support for the conservation of basic neuronal cellular functions between invertebrates and vertebrates. The critical question is therefore whether the specific neuronal cellular functions that are directly perturbed in neurodegenerative diseases are also conserved between these model systems and people. Given that the causal molecular/cellular insults underlying neurodegenerative conditions are not known (or at least controversial), the answer to this question is unclear. It is clear, though, that expression of specific human proteins linked to neurodegeneration (e.g., β-amyloid peptide, tau, α-synuclein, etc.) leads to cellular toxicity in worms and flies. Minimally, invertebrate models should give us insight into (at least some) toxic acti
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