scholarly journals Fitness effects of thermal stress differ between outcrossing and selfing populations in Caenorhabditis elegans

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agata Plesnar-Bielak ◽  
Marta K. Labocha ◽  
Paulina Kosztyła ◽  
Katarzyna R. Woch ◽  
Woronika M. Banot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Environmental Change ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Fitness Effects ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Free Living Nematode ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractThe maintenance of males and outcrossing is widespread, despite considerable costs of males. By enabling recombination between distinct genotypes, outcrossing may be advantageous during adaptation to a novel environments and if so, it should be selected for under environmental challenge. However, a given environmental change may influence fitness of male, female, and hermaphrodite or asexual individuals differently, and hence the relationship between reproductive system and dynamics of adaptation to novel conditions may not be driven solely by the level of outcrossing and recombination. This has important implications for studies investigating the evolution of reproductive modes in the context of environmental changes, and for the extent to which their findings can be generalized. Here, we use Caenorhabditis elegans – a free-living nematode species in which hermaphrodites (capable of selfing but not cross-fertilizing each other) coexist with males (capable of fertilizing hermaphrodites) – to investigate the response of wild type as well as obligatorily outcrossing and obligatorily selfing lines to stressfully increased ambient temperature. We found that thermal stress affects fitness of outcrossers much more drastically than that of selfers. This shows that apart from the potential for recombination, the selective pressures imposed by the same environmental change can differ between populations expressing different reproductive systems and affect their adaptive potential.

The use of Caenorhabditis elegans in parasitic nematode research

Parasitology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 128 (S1) ◽  
pp. S49-S70 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. GILLEARD
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Parasitic Nematode ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Evolutionary Development ◽  
Parasitic Nematodes ◽  
Free Living ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Free Living Nematode

There is increasing interest in the use of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a tool for parasitic nematode research and there are now a number of compelling examples of its successful application. C. elegans has the potential to become a standard tool for molecular helminthology researchers, just as yeast is routinely used by molecular biologists to study vertebrate biology. However, in order to exploit C. elegans in a meaningful manner, we need a detailed understanding of the extent to which different aspects of C. elegans biology have been conserved with particular groups of parasitic nematodes. This review first considers the current state of knowledge regarding the conservation of genome organisation across the nematode phylum and then discusses some recent evolutionary development studies in free-living nematodes. The aim is to provide some important concepts that are relevant to the extrapolation of information from C. elegans to parasitic nematodes and also to the interpretation of experiments that use C. elegans as a surrogate expression system. In general, examples have been specifically chosen because they highlight the importance of careful experimentation and interpretation of data. Consequently, the focus is on the differences that have been found between nematode species rather than the similarities. Finally, there is a detailed discussion of the current status of C. elegans as a heterologous expression system to study parasite gene function and regulation using successful examples from the literature.

Responses of dauerlarvae of Caenorhabditis elegans (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) to thermal stress and oxygen deprivation

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (8) ◽  
pp. 1786-1791 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary L. Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stress ◽  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Developmental Stage ◽  
Thermal Tolerance ◽  
Oxygen Deprivation ◽  
Behavior Changes ◽  
Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Anaerobic Stress ◽  
Free Living Nematode

Larval forms of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans possess the ability to enter a developmental stage which is thought to be specialized for survival in harsh environmental conditions, i.e. the dauerlarval stage. In this study the responses of dauerlarvae to thermal stress and oxygen deprivation are investigated. Oxygen consumption of dauerlarvae is less sensitive to temperature change that that of adults, with Q10 values of 1.7 and 2.6 respectively. The upper thermal tolerance limit of dauerlarvae is also different from that of adults; dauerlarvae survive approximately three times longer than adults when exposed to 37 °C. In addition to differences in thermal tolerance, dauerlarvae survive longer under anaerobic conditions than adults, 7 days and 2 days respectively. On recovery from anaerobic stress dauerlarvae exhibit behavior changes which are suggestive of emergence from the dauerlarval stage. The responses of dauerlarvae to thermal stress and oxygen deprivation appear to be important aspects of the specialization for survival in this facultative developmental stage.

Increased penetration of host roots by nematodes after recovery from quiescence induced by root cap exudate

Nematology ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 321-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martha Hawes ◽  
S. Patricia Stock ◽  
Yolanda Flores-Lara ◽  
Jennifer Hubbard ◽  
Mark Schmitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Root Cap ◽  
Post Inoculation ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Second Stage ◽  
Free Living Nematode ◽  
Resistant Strains

AbstractFourteen of 20 plant species surveyed produced root cap exudates that induced a state of reversible quiescence in Meloidogyne incognita and Caenorhabditis elegans. Exudate from six species failed to induce quiescence in either nematode species. Root cap exudates from pea were found to trigger quiescence in populations of plant-parasitic, animal-parasitic, insect-pathogenic, and free-living nematode species. One animal parasite was resistant. Caenorhabditis elegans strains with defects in known metabolic pathways also were screened to explore the potential for using this model system to examine the genetic basis for exudates-induced quiescence (EIQ). All 62 lines tested exhibited wild type sensitivity to root cap exudates and preliminary efforts to obtain viable EIQ-resistant strains by ethyl methanesulphonate (EMS) mutagenesis were unsuccessful. After recovery from EIQ, penetration of alfalfa roots by second-stage juveniles of M. incognita more than doubled within 24 h, compared with controls, and the number of nematodes per root remained high for a week but long-term development and maturation was similar to that of untreated control inoculum. In cucumber, penetration after recovery from EIQ increased by several fold but returned to control levels within 4 days post-inoculation.

The demise of the Platonic worm

Nematology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Armand Leroi ◽  
Scott Emmons ◽  
Ana Cunha ◽  
Ricardo B.R. Azevedo
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Nematode Species ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Cell Lineages ◽  
Panagrellus Redivivus ◽  
Seam Cell ◽  
Nous Montrons ◽  
Adult Cell ◽  
Free Living Nematode ◽  
Nuclear Number

AbstractNematodes are generally considered to have an adult cell number that does not vary among wildtype individuals as a consequence of invariant cell lineages (eutely). However, there is extensive evidence that at least some cell lineages can be variable in nematodes. In a comparative study of 13 free-living nematode species, we have shown that the adult epidermis of most species contained variable numbers of nuclei and that this variance was positively correlated with mean epidermal nuclear number. Here we present simulations of the lateral seam cell lineages of four species and show that variance in cell number is influenced by lineage topology, as well as by the frequency of lineage variants. We show that the epidermal variability of Panagrellus redivivus cannot be accounted for by the complexity of its lineage, but requires higher levels of lineage variability than are found in Caenorhabditis elegans, Oscheius myriophila and Rhabditella octopleura. Our findings suggest that many nematodes may have tissues composed of indeterminate numbers of cells formed from variable lineages and, as such, resemble other metazoans. Les nématodes sont généralement considérés comme ayant un nombre de cellules invariable chez les individus de type sauvage, conséquence d’un lignage cellulaire fixe (eutélie). Cependant, il est d’évidence qu’au moins certains des lignages cellulaires peuvent varier chez les nématodes. Dans une étude comparative portant sur 13 espèces de nématodes libres, nous avions montré que l’épiderme de la plupart de ces espèces comportait un nombre variable de noyaux et que cette variabilité était corrélée positivement avec le nombre de noyaux épidermiques. Nous présentons ici des simulations des lignages cellulaires de la suture latérale de quatre espèces et démontrons que le nombre de cellules est influencé tant par la topologie du lignage que par la fréquence des variants de ce lignage. Nous montrons que la variabilité de l’épiderme de Panagrellus redivivus ne peut être mise au compte de la complexité de son lignage, mais demande des niveaux élevés de variabilité de ce lignage, tels ceux trouvés chez Caenorhabditis elegans, Oscheius myriophila et Rhabditella octopleura. Nos observations suggèrent que nombre de nématodes possèdent des tissus composés d’un nombre indéterminé de cellules dérivant de lignages variables et, de ce fait, ressemblent aux autres metazoaires.

scholarly journals Haematophagic Caenorhabditis elegans

Parasitology ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 146 (3) ◽  
pp. 314-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veeren M Chauhan ◽  
David I Pritchard
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Neutralizing Antibodies ◽  
Fluorescent Microscopy ◽  
Free Living ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Vaccine Responses ◽  
Nematode Parasites ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Free Living Nematode ◽  
Bright Emission

AbstractCaenorhabditis elegans is a free-living nematode that resides in soil and typically feeds on bacteria. We postulate that haematophagic C. elegans could provide a model to evaluate vaccine responses to intestinal proteins from hematophagous nematode parasites, such as Necator americanus. Human erythrocytes, fluorescently labelled with tetramethylrhodamine succinimidyl ester, demonstrated a stable bright emission and facilitated visualization of feeding events with fluorescent microscopy. C. elegans were observed feeding on erythrocytes and were shown to rupture red blood cells upon capture to release and ingest their contents. In addition, C. elegans survived equally on a diet of erythrocytes. There was no statistically significant difference in survival when compared with a diet of Escherichia coli OP50. The enzymes responsible for the digestion and detoxification of haem and haemoglobin, which are key components of the hookworm vaccine, were found in the C. elegans intestine. These findings support our postulate that free-living nematodes could provide a model for the assessment of neutralizing antibodies to current and future hematophagous parasite vaccine candidates.

scholarly journals Caenorhabditis elegans—Applications to Nematode Genomics

2003 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
William F. Gregory ◽  
John Parkinson
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Genome Sequence ◽  
Complete Genome Sequence ◽  
Complete Genome ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Free Living Nematode

The complete genome sequence of the free-living nematodeCaenorhabditis eleganswas published 4 years ago. Since then, we have seen great strides in technologies that seek to exploit this data. Here we describe the application of some of these techniques and other advances that are helping us to understand about not only the biology of this important model organism but also the entire phylum Nematoda.

Effect of structurally related flavonoids from Zuccagnia punctata Cav. on Caenorhabditis elegans

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Romina E. D’Almeida ◽  
María R. Alberto ◽  
Phillip Morgan ◽  
Margaret Sedensky ◽  
María I. Isla
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Larval Development ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Egg Hatching ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
Aerial Parts ◽  
Free Living Nematode ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Anthelmintic Effect

AbstractZuccagnia punctata Cav. (Fabaceae), commonly called jarilla macho or pus-pus, is being used in traditional medicine as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and to relieve muscle and bone pain. The aim of this work was to study the anthelmintic effects of three structurally related flavonoids present in aerial parts of Z. punctata Cav. The biological activity of the flavonoids 7-hydroxyflavanone (HF), 3,7-dihydroxyflavone (DHF) and 2´,4´-dihydroxychalcone (DHC) was examined in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results showed that among the assayed flavonoids, only DHC showed an anthelmintic effect and alteration of egg hatching and larval development processes in C. elegans. DHC was able to kill 50% of adult nematodes at a concentration of 17 μg/mL. The effect on larval development was observed after 48 h in the presence of 25 and 50 μg/mL DHC, where 33.4 and 73.4% of nematodes remained in the L3 stage or younger. New therapeutic drugs with good efficacy against drug-resistant nematodes are urgently needed. Therefore, DHC, a natural compound present in Z. punctata, is proposed as a potential anthelmintic drug.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document