2,851
edits
Nematode Worms (Caenorhabditis Elegans): Difference between revisions
Nematode Worms (Caenorhabditis Elegans) (view source)
Revision as of 03:28, 21 January 2024
, 21 Januaryno edit summary
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 27: | Line 27: | ||
It has been used as a model organism to study molecular mechanisms in metabolic diseases.{{pmid|29990370}} Brenner also chose it as it is easy to grow in bulk populations, and convenient for genetic analysis. It is a multicellular eukaryotic organism, yet simple enough to be studied in great detail. The transparency of ''C. elegans'' facilitates the study of cellular differentiation and other developmental processes in the intact organism. The spicules in the male clearly distinguish males from females. Strains are cheap to breed and can be frozen. When subsequently thawed, they remain viable, allowing long-term storage.{{pmid|4366476}} Maintenance is easy when compared to other multicellular model organisms. A few hundred nematodes can be kept on a single agar plate and suitable growth medium. Brenner described the use of a mutant of ''E. coli'' – OP50. OP50 is a uracil-requiring organism and its deficiency in the plate prevents the overgrowth of bacteria which would obscure the worms.{{pmid|4366476}} The use of OP50 does not demand any major laboratory safety measures, since it is non-pathogenic and easily grown in Luria-Bertani (LB) media overnight.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wormbook.org/chapters/www_behavior/behavior.html#sec1|title=Behavior|website=www.wormbook.org|access-date=2018-09-26}}</ref> | It has been used as a model organism to study molecular mechanisms in metabolic diseases.{{pmid|29990370}} Brenner also chose it as it is easy to grow in bulk populations, and convenient for genetic analysis. It is a multicellular eukaryotic organism, yet simple enough to be studied in great detail. The transparency of ''C. elegans'' facilitates the study of cellular differentiation and other developmental processes in the intact organism. The spicules in the male clearly distinguish males from females. Strains are cheap to breed and can be frozen. When subsequently thawed, they remain viable, allowing long-term storage.{{pmid|4366476}} Maintenance is easy when compared to other multicellular model organisms. A few hundred nematodes can be kept on a single agar plate and suitable growth medium. Brenner described the use of a mutant of ''E. coli'' – OP50. OP50 is a uracil-requiring organism and its deficiency in the plate prevents the overgrowth of bacteria which would obscure the worms.{{pmid|4366476}} The use of OP50 does not demand any major laboratory safety measures, since it is non-pathogenic and easily grown in Luria-Bertani (LB) media overnight.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wormbook.org/chapters/www_behavior/behavior.html#sec1|title=Behavior|website=www.wormbook.org|access-date=2018-09-26}}</ref> | ||
===Ageing=== | ===Ageing=== | ||
''C. elegans'' has been a model organism for research into ageing; for example, the inhibition of an insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway has been shown to increase adult lifespan threefold;{{pmid|11021802}}{{pmid|25517099}} while glucose feeding promotes oxidative stress and reduce adult lifespan by a half.{{pmid|29990370}} Similarly, induced degradation of an insulin/IGF-1 receptor late in life extended life expectancy of worms dramatically.{{pmid|34505574}} Long-lived mutants of ''C. elegans'' were demonstrated to be resistant to oxidative stress and UV light.{{pmid|18203746}} These long-lived mutants had a higher DNA repair capability than wild-type ''C. elegans''.{{pmid|18203746}} Knockdown of the nucleotide excision repair gene Xpa-1 increased sensitivity to UV and reduced the life span of the long-lived mutants. These findings indicate that DNA repair capability underlies longevity. | ''C. elegans'' has been a model organism for research into ageing; for example, the inhibition of an insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway has been shown to increase adult lifespan threefold;{{pmid|11021802}}{{pmid|25517099}} while glucose feeding promotes [[Oxidative Stress|oxidative stress]] and reduce adult lifespan by a half.{{pmid|29990370}} Similarly, induced degradation of an insulin/IGF-1 receptor late in life extended life expectancy of worms dramatically.{{pmid|34505574}} Long-lived mutants of ''C. elegans'' were demonstrated to be resistant to oxidative stress and UV light.{{pmid|18203746}} These long-lived mutants had a higher DNA repair capability than wild-type ''C. elegans''.{{pmid|18203746}} Knockdown of the nucleotide excision repair gene Xpa-1 increased sensitivity to UV and reduced the life span of the long-lived mutants. These findings indicate that DNA repair capability underlies longevity. | ||
The capacity to repair DNA damage by the process of nucleotide excision repair declines with age.{{pmid|17472752}} | The capacity to repair DNA damage by the process of nucleotide excision repair declines with age.{{pmid|17472752}} | ||