Evidence map›Paper›PMID 20431904›Full record

ArticleInvertebrate neuroscience : IN2010

Technical report: exploring the basis of congenital myasthenic syndromes in an undergraduate course, using the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans.

Bonnie Kaas, Avinash R Vaidya, Amanda Leatherman, Stephanie Schleidt, Rebecca Eustance Kohn

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Invertebrate neuroscience : IN, 2010. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
0.4field-weighted citation impact, top 46% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Bonnie KaasThe Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
Avinash R Vaidya
Amanda Leatherman
Stephanie Schleidt
Rebecca Eustance Kohn
Ursinus College · USJohns Hopkins University · USUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mutations affecting acetylcholine receptors have been causally linked to the development of congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) in humans resulting from neuromuscular transmission defects. In an undergraduate Molecular Neurobiology course, the molecular basis of CMS was explored through study of a Caenorhabditis elegans model of the disease. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), located on the postsynaptic muscle cell membrane, contains a pentameric ring structure comprised of five homologous subunits. In the nematode C. elegans, unc-63 encodes an α subunit of nAChR. UNC-63 is required for the function of nAChR at the neuromuscular junction. Mutations in unc-63 result in defects in locomotion and egg-laying and may be used as models for CMS. Here, we describe the responses of four unc-63 mutants to the cholinesterase inhibitor pyridostigmine bromide (range 0.9-15.6 mM in this study), a treatment for CMS that mitigates deficiencies in cholinergic transmission by elevating synaptic ACh levels. Our results show that 15.6 mM pyridostigmine bromide enhanced mobility in two alleles, depressed mobility in one allele and in N2, while having no effect on the fourth allele. This indicates that while pyridostigmine bromide may be effective at ameliorating symptoms of CMS in certain cases, it may not be a suitable treatment for all individuals due to the diverse etiology of this disease. Students in the Molecular Neurobiology course enhanced their experience in scientific research by conducting an experiment designed to increase understanding of genetic defects of neurological function.

Indexed as

AnimalsCaenorhabditis elegansCaenorhabditis elegans ProteinsCholinesterase InhibitorsDisease Models, AnimalEducation, Medical, UndergraduateMutationMyasthenic Syndromes, CongenitalPyridostigmine BromideReceptors, NicotinicCaenorhabditis elegans ProteinsCholinesterase InhibitorsPyridostigmine BromideReceptors, NicotinicUnc-63 protein, C elegans

Identifiers

PMID20431904
OpenAlexW2066753837

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.