Patent ID: 6841145

Claim:
A method for determining whether a test compound, which modulates the uptake of serotonin by a serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT), has an effect on a secondary target, said method comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a Caenorhabditis elegans nematode lacking a wild-type SERT polypeptide and expressing a mutated Caenorhabditis elegans SERT (CeSERT) polypeptide selected from the group consisting of a CeSERT(n822) polypeptide, a CeSERT(n823) polypeptide, and a CeSERT(n3314) polypeptide with said compound, wherein said mutated CeSERT polypeptide has a reduced capacity to take up serotonin relative to wild-type; and (b) analyzing said nematode for an effect of said contacting on a defined behavior by said nematode, wherein a difference in said defined behavior by said nematode, relative to said defined behavior by a Caenorhabditis elegans nematode expressing a mutated CeSERT polypeptide but not contacted with said compound, indicates said compound has an effect on a secondary target.