Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model Organism for Functional Genomics

2011 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Functional Genomics ◽  
Model Organism

Behavioral Effects of Volatile Anesthetics in Caenorhabditis elegans

1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 901-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael C. Crowder ◽  
Laynie D. Shebester ◽  
Tim Schedl
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Volatile Anesthetic ◽  
Volatile Anesthetics ◽  
Effective Concentration ◽  
Forward Genetics ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Median Effective Concentration

Background The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans offers many advantages as a model organism for studying volatile anesthetic actions. It has a simple, well-understood nervous system; it allows the researcher to do forward genetics; and its genome will soon be completely sequenced. C. elegans is immobilized by volatile anesthetics only at high concentrations and with an unusually slow time course. Here other behavioral dysfunctions are considered as anesthetic endpoints in C. elegans. Methods The potency of halothane for disrupting eight different behaviors was determined by logistic regression of concentration and response data. Other volatile anesthetics were also tested for some behaviors. Established protocols were used for behavioral endpoints that, except for pharyngeal pumping, were set as complete disruption of the behavior. Time courses were measured for rapid behaviors. Recovery from exposure to 1 or 4 vol% halothane was determined for mating, chemotaxis, and gross movement. All experiments were performed at 20 to 22 degrees C. Results The median effective concentration values for halothane inhibition of mating (0.30 vol%-0.21 mM), chemotaxis (0.34 vol%-0.24 mM), and coordinated movement (0.32 vol% - 0.23 mM) were similar to the human minimum alveolar concentration (MAC; 0.21 mM). In contrast, halothane produced immobility with a median effective concentration of 3.65 vol% (2.6 mM). Other behaviors had intermediate sensitivities. Halothane's effects reached steady-state in 10 min for all behaviors tested except immobility, which required 2 h. Recovery was complete after exposure to 1 vol% halothane but was significantly reduced after exposure to immobilizing concentrations. Conclusions Volatile anesthetics selectively disrupt C. elegans behavior. The potency, time course, and recovery characteristics of halothane's effects on three behaviors are similar to its anesthetic properties in vertebrates. The affected nervous system molecules may express structural motifs similar to those on vertebrate anesthetic targets.

scholarly journals Meeting Highlights: Genome Sequencing and Biology 2001

2001 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 243-251
Author(s):  
Jo Wixon
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Genomics ◽  
Functional Genomics ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Model Organism

We bring you a report from the CSHL Genome Sequencing and Biology Meeting, which has a long and prestigious history. This year there were sessions on large-scale sequencing and analysis, polymorphisms (covering discovery and technologies and mapping and analysis), comparative genomics of mammalian and model organism genomes, functional genomics and bioinformatics.

Presynaptic targets for acute ethanol sensitivity

2010 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 172-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff W. Barclay ◽  
Margaret E. Graham ◽  
Mark R. Edwards ◽  
James R. Johnson ◽  
Alan Morgan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Alcohol Abuse ◽  
Synaptic Vesicle ◽  
Protein Interactions ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Acute Exposure ◽  
Ethanol Sensitivity ◽  
Acute Ethanol ◽  
Specific Proteins

Acute exposure to ethanol is known to modulate signalling within the nervous system. Physiologically these effects are both presynaptic and postsynaptic in origin; however, considerably more research has focused primarily on postsynaptic targets. Recent research using the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has determined a role for specific proteins (Munc18-1 and Rab3) and processes (synaptic vesicle recruitment and fusion) in transducing the presynaptic effects of ethanol. In the present paper, we review these results, identifying the proteins and protein interactions involved in ethanol sensitivity and discuss their links with mammalian studies of alcohol abuse.

scholarly journals Caenorhabditis elegans, a pluricellular model organism to screen new genes involved in mitochondrial genome maintenance

2010 ◽  
Vol 1802 (9) ◽  
pp. 765-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Glover Addo ◽  
Raynald Cossard ◽  
Damien Pichard ◽  
Kwasi Obiri-Danso ◽  
Agnès Rötig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Mitochondrial Genome ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Genome Maintenance ◽  
New Genes

New Data and New Features of the FunRiceGenes (Functionally Characterized Rice Genes) Database: 2021 Update

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Huang ◽  
Yingru Jiang ◽  
Tiantian Chen ◽  
Haoran Li ◽  
Mengjia Fu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Functional Genomics ◽  
Rice Genome ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Gene Families ◽  
Food Crop ◽  
Protein Coding ◽  
Protein Coding Genes ◽  
Major Food

Abstract As a major food crop and model organism, rice has been mostly studied with the largest number of functionally characterized genes among all crops. We previously built the funRiceGenes database including ∼2800 functionally characterized rice genes and ∼5000 members of different gene families. Since being published, the funRiceGenes database has been accessed by more than 49,000 users with over 490,000 page views. The funRiceGenes database has been continuously updated with newly cloned rice genes and newly published literature, based on the progress of rice functional genomics studies. Up to Nov 2021, ≥4100 functionally characterized rice genes and ∼6000 members of different gene families were collected in funRiceGenes, accounting for 22.3% of the 39,045 annotated protein-coding genes in the rice genome. Here, we summarized the update of the funRiceGenes database with new data and new features in the last five years.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document