ArticleNature neuroscience2013
Betaine acts on a ligand-gated ion channel in the nervous system of the nematode C. elegans.
Article in Nature neuroscience, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 27 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- A novel anaerobic cholinergic signaling compound, β-alanine betaine, and nAChRs in Ascaris.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2026Article
- β-alanine betaine and nAChRs inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Identity and functions of monoaminergic neurons in the predatory nematodebioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Unraveling anthelmintic targets and mechanisms of action of trans-cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon essential oil.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- A neurotransmitter atlas ofeLife · 2024Article
- Structural insights into the molecular effects of the anthelmintics monepantel and betaine on the Caenorhabditis elegans acetylcholine receptor ACR-23.The EMBO journal · 2024Article
- A neurotransmitter atlas ofbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- NRPS-like ATRR in Plant-Parasitic Nematodes Involved in Glycine Betaine Metabolism to Promote Parasitism.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- Vitamin BNature cell biology · 2024Article
- The diverse family of Cys-loop receptors inBiophysical reviews · 2023Review
- Neuronally produced betaine acts via a ligand-gated ion channel to control behavioral states.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2022Article
- The nematode serotonin-gated chloride channel MOD-1: A novel target for anthelmintic therapy.The Journal of biological chemistry · 2022Article
- TheMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Betaine-rich sugar beet molasses protects from homocysteine-induced reduction of survival in Caenorhabditis elegans.European journal of nutrition · 2020Article
- Akirin Is Required for Muscle Function and Acts Through the TGF-β Sma/Mab Signaling Pathway inG3 (Bethesda, Md.) · 2020Article
- Interspecific comparison of sensitivity to paralytic compounds.microPublication biology · 2019Article
- Monepantel is a non-competitive antagonist of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors from Ascaris suum and Oesophagostomum dentatum.International journal for parasitology. Drugs and drug resistance · 2018Article
- Article
- 1-Carbon Cycle Metabolites Methylate Their Way to Fatty Liver.Trends in endocrinology and metabolism: TEM · 2017Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
10 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Prior to the advent of synthetic nematocides, natural products such as seaweed were used to control nematode infestations. The nematocidal agent in seaweed is betaine, an amino acid that functions as an osmolyte and methyl donor. However, the molecular mechanisms of betaine toxicity are unknown. We identified the betaine transporter SNF-3 and the betaine receptor ACR-23 in the nematode C. elegans. Mutating snf-3 in a sensitized background caused the worms to be hypercontracted and paralyzed, presumably as a result of excess extracellular betaine. These behavioral defects were suppressed by mutations in acr-23, which encodes a ligand-gated cation channel of the cys-loop family. ACR-23 was activated by betaine and functioned in the mechanosensory neurons to maintain basal levels of locomotion. However, overactivation of the receptor by excess betaine or by the allosteric modulator monepantel resulted in hypercontraction and death of the nematode. Thus, monepantel targets a betaine signaling pathway in nematodes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.