Biotic, abiotic and genetic perturbations in genetically variant Caenorhabditis elegans

Abstract

The bacterivorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is an important model species for understanding genetic variation of complex traits. So far, most studies involve axenic laboratory settings using Escherichia coli as sole bacterial species. But over the past decade, investigations into the genetic variation of responses to microbiota have received increased attention. Quantitative genetic analyses have revealed detailed insight into loci, genetic variants and pathways in C. elegans underlying interactions with bacteria, microsporidia and viruses. As various quantitative genetic platforms and resources like CeNDR and WormQTL have been developed, we anticipate that expanding C. elegans research along the lines of genetic variation will be a treasure trove for opening up new insights into genetic pathways and gene functionality of microbiota interactions.