REVIEW article

Front. Cell. Neurosci.

Sec. Cellular Neuropathology

Volume 19 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fncel.2025.1633744

This article is part of the Research TopicReviews in Cellular NeuropathologyView all 7 articles

Decoding GNAO1 mutations using Caenorhabditis elegans model system: Past approaches and future prospectives

Provisionally accepted
Shubham  YadavShubham YadavSatya  Santoshi VeliventiSatya Santoshi VeliventiSomya  BhandariSomya BhandariSakshi  GangurdeSakshi GangurdeShreeya  NaikShreeya NaikShraddha  N BhagwatShraddha N BhagwatSantosh  KumarSantosh Kumar*
  • National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, India

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

GNAO1 encephalopathies are a group of neglected genetic disorders primarily occurring due to de novo mutations in the Gαo protein-encoding gene. This gene is reported to be highly conserved among Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and humans, with a sequence similarity of nearly 80%. The C. elegans model system simplifies studying signaling pathways involved in several neurotransmitters, including GPCR pathways. Therefore, using this model system to delineate downstream effectors and clinical targets to Gαo can be highly advantageous.Mutations that cause GNAO1 encephalopathy can be easily replicated in genetically modified and transgenic C. elegans and validated by rescuing phenotypic defects, primarily locomotion and egg-laying defects in worms. Although there are recent technical advancements in understanding the interacting proteins, there are unclear and uncertain hypotheses that explain the effect of Gαo mutations in humans. In terms of the clinical aspect of this disorder, there are no available approved diagnostic procedures to detect GNAO1 encephalopathy in the early stages of life. The present diagnostic procedures reiterate symptoms and overlap with other neurological symptoms, resulting in neglected data of cases. Therefore, here we provide an overview of past research and a perspective of future work, with the primary objective of focusing on GNAO1 encephalopathy and using the C. elegans model system to study these pathogenic variants.

Keywords: Caenorhabditis elegans (c. elegans), GNAO1 encephalopathy, Gαo, G-proteins, mutations, disorders, neurotransmitter, phenotype

Received: 23 May 2025; Accepted: 04 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Yadav, Santoshi Veliventi, Bhandari, Gangurde, Naik, Bhagwat and Kumar. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Santosh Kumar, National Centre for Cell Science, Pune, India

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