Labmanager Logo

Tiny Worms May Offer New Clues about Why It's So Hard to Quit Smoking

Researchers identified specific genes and microRNA that play an essential role in how roundworms develop nicotine dependence and withdrawal responses

| 2 min read
Share this Article
Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00

Illustration of a cigaretteIllustration credit: Kaitlyn Beukema

ANN ARBOR—Researchers at the University of Michigan Life Sciences Institute found that a previously dismissed genetic mechanism may contribute to nicotine dependence, and to the withdrawal effects that can make quitting smoking so difficult.

Scientists in the lab of Shawn Xu examined withdrawal responses in the millimeter-long roundworms Caenorhabditis elegans, which get hooked on nicotine just like humans.

Lab manager academy logo

Get training in Lab Crisis Preparation and earn CEUs.

One of over 25 IACET-accredited courses in the Academy.

Certification logo

Lab Crisis Preparation course

In the findings, published Nov. 7 in Cell Reports, the researchers identified specific genes and microRNA that play an essential role in how the roundworms develop nicotine dependence and withdrawal responses—clues that may carry over to the mammalian realm.

The study took a fresh look at a previously dismissed biological mechanism. Most research in the field has focused on how proteins called nicotine acetylcholine receptors contribute to dependence.

Related Article: Nicotine-Eating Bacteria Could Help Smokers Kick the Habit

Xu and his colleagues focused on an earlier step in the genetic coding process and discovered that a series of genes were involved in a process that ultimately increased the production of the nicotine receptor proteins, with microRNAs—a class of small RNA molecules that help fine-tune gene expression—playing a pivotal role.

"We're seeing a clear link between nicotine, microRNA, the receptor proteins, and nicotine-dependent behavior," said Jianke Gong, a researcher in Xu's lab and one of the lead authors on the study.

This mechanism had been dismissed as unimportant to nicotine dependence. However, Xu pointed out, those conclusions were made decades ago, using less sophisticated techniques.

Interested in Life Science News?

Subscribe to our free Life Science Tools & Techniques newsletter.

Is the form not loading? If you use an ad blocker or browser privacy features, try turning them off and refresh the page.

Xu's lab previously demonstrated that the worms exhibit behavioral responses to nicotine similar to what mammals experience, and that some of the genes involved in nicotine dependence in worms are conserved in mammals—meaning the worms are a good genetic and behavioral model for studying nicotine dependence.

Xu hopes that this latest discovery in C. elegans will now lead other scientists to re-examine the role of these microRNAs in nicotine dependence in mammals, and ultimately lead to a better understanding of what causes the dependence.

"People believed this question had been settled," said Xu, a professor at the LSI and in the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the U-M Medical School. "But we have better tools now. We, as a field, need to take another look at this mechanism in nicotine addiction."

The research was supported by funding from the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Research Fellowship Programme and the National Institutes of Health. The study authors are: Manish Rauthan, Jianke Gong, Zhaoyu Li, Seth Wescott, and X.Z. Shawn Zhu, all of U-M, and Jiangfeng Liu of the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China.

The Cell Reports paper is titled "MicroRNA regulation of nAChR expression and nicotine-dependent behavior in C. Elegans," DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2017.10.043.

Loading Next Article...
Loading Next Article...

CURRENT ISSUE - December 2024

2025 Industry and Equipment Trends

Purchasing trends survey results

Lab Manager December 2024 Cover Image
Lab Manager Life Science eNewsletter

Stay Connected with Life Science News

Click below to subscribe to Life Science Tools & Techniques eNewsletter!

Subscribe Today