Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model Organism for Functional Genomics

Definition

C. elegans is a small free‐living soil nematode that has become an important model organism of intense investigation. Complete descriptions of its development, nervous system and genome provide a unique platform to launch functional genomic studies of evolutionarily conserved genes, pathways and processes from worm to human.

Characteristics

Features

Pioneered by Brenner as a genetic system in the 1960s, C. elegans was chosen in large part because of its small size (1 mm), rapid generation time (3.5 days) and ease of cultivation on an E. coli lawn. Moreover, stocks can be frozen in liquid nitrogen for years. Because of its clarity, cell constancy (959 somatic cells) and invariant development, the fate of every cell has been traced in entirety by Sulston, Horvitz and co‐workers, forming a complete and precise framework for detailed biological exploration. Indeed, Sulston, Horvitz and Brenner were awarded