What is the nematode C. elegans famous for?
What is the nematode C. elegans famous for?
It was the first multicellular organism to have its whole genome sequenced, and as of 2019, is the only organism to have its connectome (neuronal “wiring diagram”) completed.
What is the common name of C. elegans?
Map to
| Mnemonic i | CAEEL |
|---|---|
| Common name i | – |
| Synonym i | – |
| Other names i | ›Caenorhabditis elegans (Maupas, 1900) ›Rhabditis elegans ›Rhabditis elegans Maupas, 1900 |
| Rank i | SPECIES |
Can C. elegans infect humans?
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen of humans and the most commonly studied pathogen in C. elegans, where it causes a lethal infection of intestinal epithelial cells [17].
What makes C. elegans a good model?
elegans, where specific genes are altered, can be produced very easily to closely study gene function. Many of the genes in the C. elegans genome have functional counterparts in humans which makes it an extremely useful model for human diseases.
Why are C. elegans good for research?
C. elegans grown in large numbers, can be easily screened for effects of novel drugs on complex processes involved in human disease. C. elegans is particularly useful the study of ageing processes because the organism passes through several distinct phases of life which can be observed physiologically and genetically.
What is the meaning of elegans?
elegant
Elegans, Latin for “elegant”, is commonly used as a species epithet in systematic names.
Who discovered C. elegans?
Émile Maupas
C. elegans was first described in 1900 by Émile Maupas, who isolated it from soil in Algeria. Ellsworth Dougherty proposed in 1948 that free-living nematodes of the sub-order Rhabditina might be useful for genetic study, noting their relative structural simplicity and invariant cell lineage (eutely).
Can C. elegans penetrate skin?
Skin penetration is limited by the worm cuticle, a highly structured extracellular matrix that protects C. elegans from the environment. The method also relies on diffusion of H2O2 throughout the worm body.
Are C. elegans harmful?
C. elegans is a non-hazardous, non-infectious, non-pathogenic, non-parasitic organism. It is small, growing to about 1 mm in length, and lives in the soil—especially rotting vegetation—in many parts of the world, where it survives by feeding on microbes such as bacteria. It is of no economic importance to man.
What is C. elegans used to study?
C. elegans has been used as a model organism to study human diseases ranging from Parkinson’s disease to mitochondrial diseases, as well as studying the immune system.
