Abstract
The establishment of Caenorhabditis elegans as a “model organism” began with the efforts of Sydney Brenner in the early 1960s. Brenner’s focus was to find a suitable animal model in which the tools of genetic analysis could be used to define molecular mechanisms of development and nervous system function. C. elegans provides numerous experimental advantages for such studies. These advantages include a short life cycle, production of large numbers of offspring, easy and inexpensive laboratory culture, forward and reverse genetic tractability, and a relatively simple anatomy. This chapter will provide a brief overview of C. elegans biology.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
*
C. elegans eventually replaced C. briggsae as the species of choice.
References
Brenner, S. (1988) Foreward. In: The Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, (Wood, W. B. and the Community of C. elegans Researchers, eds.), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, pp. ix–xiii.
Markell, E. K. and Voge, M. (1981) Medical Parasitology, W. B. Saunders and Company, Philadelphia, PA.
Sasser, J. N. and Freckman, D. W. (1987) A world perspective of nematology: the role of the society. In: Vistas on Nematology, (Veech, J. A. and Dickson, D. W., eds.), Society of Nematologists, Hyattsville, MD, pp. 7–14.
Smeal, T. and Guarente, L. (1997) Mechanisms of cellular senescence. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev. 7, 281–287.
Moerman, D. G. and Waterston, R. H. (1984) Spontaneous unstable unc-22 IV mutations in C. elegans var. Bergerac. Genetics 108, 859–877.
Wicks, S. R., Yeh, R. T., Gish, W. R., Waterston, R. H., and Plasterk, R. H. (2001) Rapid gene mapping in Caenorhabditis elegans using a high density polymorphism map. Nat. Genet. 28, 160–164.
Lewis, J. A. and Fleming, J. T. (1995) Basic culture methods. In: Caenorhabditis elegans: Modern Biological Analysis of an Organism, (Epstein, H. F. and Shakes, D. C., eds.), Academic Press, New York, NY, pp. 4–29.
Sulston, J. E. and Horvitz, H. R. (1977) Post-embryonic cell lineages of the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev. Biol. 56, 110–156.
Sulston, J. E., Schierenberg, E., White, J. G., and Thomson, J. N. (1983) The embryonic cell lineage of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev. Biol. 100, 64–119.
White, J. (1988) The anatomy. In: The Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, (Wood, W. B. and the Community of C. elegans Researchers, eds.), Cold Srping Harbor Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, pp. 81–122.
Hedgecock, E. M., Culotti, J. G., Hall, D. H., and Stern, B. D. (1987) Genetics of cell and axon migrations in Caenorhabditis elegans. Development 100, 365–382.
Robertson, A. and Thomson, N. (1982) Morphology of programmed cell death in the ventral nerve cord of Caenorhabditis elegans larvae. J. Embryol. Exp. Morphol. 67, 89–100.
Petalcorin, M. I., Oka, T., Koga, M., et al. (1999) Disruption of clh-1, a chloride channel gene, results in a wider body of Caenorhabditis elegans. J Mol. Biol. 294, 347–355.
Moerman, D. G. and Fire, A. (1997) Muscle: structure, function, and development. In: C. elegans II, (Riddle, D. L., Blumenthal, T., Meyer, B. J., and Priess, J. R., eds.), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, pp. 417–470.
Waterston, R. H. (1988) Muscle. In: The Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Wood, W. B. and the Community of C. elegans Researchers, eds.), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, pp. 281–335.
White, J. G., Southgate, E., Thmson, J. N., and Brenner, S. (1986) The structure of the nervous system of the nematode C. elegans. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 314, 1–340.
Nelson, F. K., Albert, P. S., and Riddle, D. L. (1983) Fine structure of the Caenorhabditis elegans secretory-excretory system. J. Ultrastruct. Res. 82, 156–171.
Nelson, F. K. and Riddle, D. L. (1984) Functional study of the Caenorhabditis elegans secretory-excretory system using laser microsurgery. J. Exp. Zool. 231, 45–56.
Albertson, D. G. and Thomson, J. N. (1976) The pharynx of Caenorhabditis elegans. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci. 275, 299–325.
Leung, B., Hermann, G. J., and Priess, J. R. (1999) Organogenesis of the Caenorhabditis elegans intestine. Dev. Biol. 216, 114–134.
Grant, B. and Hirsh, D. (1999) Receptor-mediated endocytosis in the Caenorhabditis elegans oocyte. Mol. Biol. Cell 10, 4311–4326.
Hall, D. H., Winfrey, V. P., Blaeuer, G., et al. (1999) Ultrastructural features of the adult hermaphrodite gonad of Caenorhabditis elegans: relations between the germ line and soma. Dev. Biol. 212, 101–123.
Hubbard, E. J. and Greenstein, D. (2000) The Caenorhabditis elegans gonad: a test tube for cell and developmental biology. Dev Dyn. 218, 2–22.
Hirsh, D., Oppenheim, D., and Klass, M. (1976) Development of the reproductive system of Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev. Biol. 49, 200–219.
Klass, M., Wolf, N., and Hirsh, D. (1976) Development of the male reproductive system and sexual transformation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev. Biol. 52, 1–18.
Ward, S. and Carrel, J. S. (1979) Fertilization and sperm competition in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Dev. Biol. 73, 304–321.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2006 Humana Press Inc.
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Strange, K. (2006). An Overview of C. elegans Biology. In: Strange, K. (eds) C. elegans. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 351. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59745-151-7:1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59745-151-7:1
Publisher Name: Humana Press
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-597-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-151-2
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols