History of research on C. elegans and other free-living nematodes as model organisms

doi:10.1895/wormbook.1.181.1

Cited by 74 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…We call these ancestral linkage groups Nigon elements in homage to Victor Nigon (Nigon and Félix 2017), a name coined by Matt Rockman (personal communication) in analogy with the Muller units of Drosophila chromosomes. Some of these Nigon elements have been transmitted intact through Rhabditina, while others have undergone rearrangement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chromosome-Wide Evolution and Sex Determination in the Three-Sexed Nematode Auanema rhodensis

Tandonnet

Koutsovoulos

Adams

et al. 2019

G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics

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Trioecy, a mating system in which males, females and hermaphrodites co-exist, is a useful system to investigate the origin and maintenance of alternative mating strategies. In the trioecious nematode Auanema rhodensis , males have one X chromosome (XO), whereas females and hermaphrodites have two (XX). The female vs. hermaphrodite sex determination mechanisms have remained elusive. In this study, RNA-seq analyses show a 20% difference between the L2 hermaphrodite and female gene expression profiles. RNAi experiments targeting the DM ( doublesex / mab-3 ) domain transcription factor dmd-10/11 suggest that the hermaphrodite sexual fate requires the upregulation of this gene. The genetic linkage map (GLM) shows that there is chromosome-wide heterozygosity for the X chromosome in F2 hermaphrodite-derived lines originated from crosses between two parental inbred strains. These results confirm the lack of recombination of the X chromosome in hermaphrodites, as previously reported. We also describe conserved chromosome elements (Nigon elements), which have been mostly maintained throughout the evolution of Rhabditina nematodes. The seven-chromosome karyotype of A. rhodensis , instead of the typical six found in other rhabditine species, derives from fusion/rearrangements events involving three Nigon elements. The A. rhodensis X chromosome is the smallest and most polymorphic with the least proportion of conserved genes. This may reflect its atypical mode of father-to-son transmission and its lack of recombination in hermaphrodites and males. In conclusion, this study provides a framework for studying the evolution of chromosomes in rhabditine nematodes, as well as possible mechanisms for the sex determination in a three-sexed species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chromosome-Wide Evolution and Sex Determination in the Three-Sexed Nematode Auanema rhodensis

Tandonnet

Koutsovoulos

Adams

et al. 2019

G3 Genes|Genomes|Genetics

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“…When s. b renner decided to embark on a new research program based on studying a simple metazoan organism, he selected a C. elegans strain, N2, which had been propagated in the laboratory for perhaps thousands of generations ( w eber et al 2010; s terken et al 2015; Nigon and Felix 2016). Unbeknownst to him, this strain had already undergone extensive adaptation to laboratory conditions and probably became even more specifically adapted to what are now the standard C. elegans handling conditions ( s tiernagle 1999 ) .…”

Section: Goals Outcomes and Interpretation Of Experimental Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Evolution withCaenorhabditisNematodes

et al. 2017

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The hermaphroditic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been one of the primary model systems in biology since the 1970s, but only within the last two decades has this nematode also become a useful model for experimental evolution. Here, we outline the goals and major foci of experimental evolution with C. elegans and related species, such as C. briggsae and C. remanei, by discussing the principles of experimental design, and highlighting the strengths and limitations of Caenorhabditis as model systems. We then review three exemplars of Caenorhabditis experimental evolution studies, underlining representative evolution experiments that have addressed the: (1) maintenance of genetic variation; (2) role of natural selection during transitions from outcrossing to selfing, as well as the maintenance of mixed breeding modes during evolution; and (3) evolution of phenotypic plasticity and its role in adaptation to variable environments, including host–pathogen coevolution. We conclude by suggesting some future directions for which experimental evolution with Caenorhabditis would be particularly informative.

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“…Over the last five decades or so, the free-living nematode C. elegans has proven to be an excellent genetic model to gain insights into a variety of biological processes, including development, reproduction, neurobiology/behavior, and aging [10][11][12]. More recently, C. elegans has emerged as a powerful model to understand basic metabolic processes [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

WormPaths:Caenorhabditis elegansmetabolic pathway annotation and visualization

Walker

Giese

Holdorf

et al. 2020

Preprint

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In our group, we aim to understand metabolism in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and its relationships with gene expression, physiology and the response to therapeutic drugs. On March 15, 2020, a stay-at-home order was put into effect in the state of Massachusetts, USA, to flatten the curve of the spread of the novel SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID-19. For biomedical researchers in our state, this meant putting a hold on experiments for nine weeks until May 18, 2020. To keep the lab engaged and productive, and to enhance communication and collaboration, we embarked on an in-lab project that we all found important but that we never had the time for: the detailed annotation and drawing of C. elegans metabolic pathways. As a result, we present WormPaths, which is composed of two parts: 1) the careful manual annotation of metabolic genes into pathways, categories and levels, and 2) 66 pathway maps that include metabolites, metabolite structures, genes, reactions, and pathway connections between maps. These maps are available on our WormFlux website. We show that WormPaths provides easy-to-navigate maps and that the different levels in WormPaths can be used for metabolic pathway enrichment analysis of transcriptomic data. In the unfortunate event of additional lockdowns, we envision further developing these maps to be more interactive, with an analogy of road maps that are available on mobile devices.

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History of research on C. elegans and other free-living nematodes as model organisms

Cited by 74 publications

References 89 publications

Chromosome-Wide Evolution and Sex Determination in the Three-Sexed Nematode Auanema rhodensis

Chromosome-Wide Evolution and Sex Determination in the Three-Sexed Nematode Auanema rhodensis

Experimental Evolution withCaenorhabditisNematodes

WormPaths:Caenorhabditis elegansmetabolic pathway annotation and visualization

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