<ol>
	<li>Yu, Z., Zhang, J., Hou, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+time-dependent+stimulation+of+sodium+halide+salts+on+redox+reactants,+energy+supply+and+luminescence+in+Vibrio+fischeri.">The time-dependent stimulation of sodium halide salts on redox reactants, energy supply and luminescence in Vibrio fischeri.</a> Journal of Hazardous Materials. 342, 429-435 (2018).</li><li>Li, W., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Long-term+nicotine+exposure+induces+dysfunction+of+mouse+endothelial+progenitor+cells.">Long-term nicotine exposure induces dysfunction of mouse endothelial progenitor cells.</a> Experimental and Therapeutic. 13, 85-90 (2017).</li><li>Yu, Z. Y., Chen, X. X., Zhang, J., Wang, R., Yin, D. 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K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Caenorhabditis+elegans:+an+emerging+model+in+biomedical+and+environmental+toxicology.">Caenorhabditis elegans: an emerging model in biomedical and environmental toxicology.</a> Toxicological Science. 106 (1), 5-28 (2008).</li><li>Yu, Z. Y., Jiang, L., Yin, D. Q. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Behavior+toxicity+to+Caenorhabditis+elegans+transferred+to+the+progeny+after+exposure+to+sulfamethoxazole+at+environmentally+relevant+concentration.">Behavior toxicity to Caenorhabditis elegans transferred to the progeny after exposure to sulfamethoxazole at environmentally relevant concentration.</a> Journal of Environmental Sciences-China. 23 (2), 294-300 (2011).</li><li>Kim, S. W., Kwak, J. I., An, Y. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Multigenerational+study+of+gold+nanoparticles+in+Caenorhabditis+elegans:+transgenerational+effect+of+maternal+exposure.">Multigenerational study of gold nanoparticles in Caenorhabditis elegans: transgenerational effect of maternal exposure.</a> Environmental Science &amp; Technology. 47, 5393-5399 (2013).</li><li>Klosin, A., Casas, E., Hidalgo-Carcedo, C., Vavouri, T., Lehner, B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transgenerational+transmission+of+environmental+information+in+C.+elegans.">Transgenerational transmission of environmental information in C. elegans.</a> Science. 356, 320 (2017).</li><li>Yu, Z. Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Trans-generational+influences+of+sulfamethoxazole+on+lifespan,+reproduction+and+population+growth+of+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">Trans-generational influences of sulfamethoxazole on lifespan, reproduction and population growth of Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 135, 312-318 (2017).</li><li>Buisset-Goussen, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Effects+of+chronic+gamma+irradiation:+a+multigenerational+study+using+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">Effects of chronic gamma irradiation: a multigenerational study using Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> Radioactivity. 137, 190-197 (2014).</li><li>Zhao, F., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Multigenerational+exposure+to+dietary+zearalenone+(ZEA),+anestrogenic+mycotoxin,+affects+puberty+and+reproductionin+female+mice.">Multigenerational exposure to dietary zearalenone (ZEA), anestrogenic mycotoxin, affects puberty and reproductionin female mice.</a> Reproductive Toxicology. 47, 81-88 (2014).</li><li>Yang, Z., Wang, J., Tang, L., Sun, X., Xue, K. S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Transgenerational+comparison+of+developmental+and+reproductive+toxicities+in+zearalenone+exposed+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">Transgenerational comparison of developmental and reproductive toxicities in zearalenone exposed Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> Asian Journal of Ecotoxicology. 11 (4), 61-68 (2016).</li><li>Brenner, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+genetics+of+Caenorhabditis+dlegans.">The genetics of Caenorhabditis dlegans.</a> Genetics. 77, 71-94 (1974).</li><li>Emmons, S., Klass, M., Hirsch, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=An+analysis+of+the+constancy+of+DNA+sequences+during+development+and+evolution+of+the+nematode+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">An analysis of the constancy of DNA sequences during development and evolution of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 76, 1333-1337 (1979).</li><li>Van Gilst, M. 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The authors are grateful for the financial supports by National Science and Technology Major Project for Water Pollution Control and Treatment (2017ZX07201004), and International Science &#38; Technology Cooperation Program of China (No. 2016YFE0123700).

In order to successfully conduct the described protocol, the following suggestions should be taken into consideration. Perform the overall experimental operations in a sterile environment. Improper operation may result in contamination of the E. coli strains, e.g., fungi and mites may hinder the normal growth of C. elegans and therefore affect the experimental results. In the section describing cultivating C. elegans, observe the growth scale of C. elegans on the NGM agars by naked eye...

The application and waste management of chemicals is highly dependent upon the information of their effects at certain concentrations. Notably, time is another essential element between effects and concentrations. That is to say, chemicals, especially those at low concentrations in the actual environments, need time to provoke measurable effects1. Therefore, researchers arrange different lengths of the exposure duration in animal experiments, and even cover the whole life cycle. For example, mice were exposed to nicotine for 30, 90 or 180 days to study its toxic effects 2. Yet, such exposure durations are still not enough to elucidate the long-term effects of pollutants (e.g., persistent organic pollutants [POPs]) that can last over generations of organisms in the environment. Therefore, studies on effects over generations are gaining more and more attention.
There are two main aspects in generational effect studies. The first one is the trans-generational (TG) effect study which can robustly test whether chemical exposure to parents can result in any consequences on the offspring3. The second one is a multi-generational effect study which is more systematic with considerations in both exposure and residual effects. On the one hand, the multi-generational exposure (MGE) effects are used to illustrate adaptive responses in the animals to the long-term challenging environments. On the other hand, the multi-generational residual (MGR) effects are used to demonstrate the long-term residual consequences after exposure, since maternal exposure is accompanied with embryo exposure to the first offspring and germ-line exposure to the second offspring which makes the third offspring as the first generation completely out of exposure4.
Although mammals (e.g., mice) are model organisms in toxicity studies especially in relation to human beings, their application in studying generational effects is quite time-consuming, expensive and ethically concerning 5. Accordingly, organisms including crustacean Daphnia magna6, insect Drosophila melanogaster7 and zebrafish Danio rerio8, provide alternative choices. Yet, these organisms either lack similarities to human beings, or require specific equipment in studies. 
Caenorhabditis elegans is a small free-living nematode (approximately 1 mm in length) with a short life-cycle (approximately 84 h at 20 &#176;C)9. This nematode shares many biological pathways conservative to human beings, and therefore it has been widely employed to illustrate effects of various stresses or toxicants10. Notably, 99.5% of the nematodes are hermaphrodites making this organisms extremely suitable in studying generational effects, e.g., TG effects of heavy metals and sulfonamides3,11, MGE effects of gold nanoparticles and heavy metals12 and temperature13, MGR effects of sulfonamide14, and both MGE and MGR effects of gamma irradiation15 and lindane4. Furthermore, comparable results were found between the effects of chemicals (e.g., zearalenone) on the development and reproduction of mice and C. elegans16,17, which would provide an advantage to extrapolate effects from this small animal to human beings.
Both TG and MG effect studies are time consuming and need careful design and performance. Notably, differences existed in life-stage choices, exposure conditions and generation separation methods in the aforementioned studies. Such differences hindered the direct comparison among the results and hampered further interpretation of the results. Therefore, it is imperative to establish uniform protocols to guide TG and MG effects studies, and also to provide a bigger picture to reveal similar patterns of various toxicants or pollutants in long-term consequences. The over goal of the present protocols will demonstrate clear operation processes in studying trans- and multi-generational effects with C. elegans. The protocols will benefit researchers that are interested in studying the long-term effects of toxicants or pollutants.

<table><tbody><tr><td>&amp;nbsp;agar powder</td><td>OXOID, Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK</td><td>9002-18-0</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>79nnHT Fast Real-Time PCR System</td><td>&amp;nbsp;Applied Biosystems&amp;nbsp;</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>96-well sterile microplate</td><td>Costar?Corning?America</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Autoclave sterilizer</td><td>Tomy, Tomy Digital Biology, Japan</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Biosafety cabinet</td><td>LongYue, Shanghai longyue instrument equipment co. Ltd, China</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>calcium chloride</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>10043-52-4</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>centrifuge&amp;nbsp; 5417R</td><td>Eppendorf, Ai Bende (Shanghai) International Trade Co., Ltd, Germany</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Centrifuge tubes</td><td>Axygen, Aixjin biotechnology (Hangzhou) co. Ltd, America</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>cholesterol</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>57-88-5</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Dimethyl sulfoxide</td><td>VETEC, Sigmar aldrich (Shanghai) trading co. Ltd, America</td><td>67-68-5</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>disodium hydrogen phosphate</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>7558-79-4</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>ethanol</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>64-17-5</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Filter</td><td>Thermo, Thermo Fisher Scientific, America</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>incubator</td><td>YiHeng17, Shanghai yiheng scientific instrument co. Ltd, China</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>inoculating loop</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>K&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;HPO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;&amp;bull;3H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>16788-57-1</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>kraft paper</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Mcroplate Reader</td><td>Boitek, Boten apparatus co. Ltd, America</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>MgSO&lt;sub&gt;4&lt;/sub&gt;&amp;bull;7H&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>10034-99-8</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Microscopes XTL-BM-9TD</td><td>BM, Shanghai BM optical instruments manufacturing co. Ltd, China&amp;nbsp;</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Petri dishes</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Pipette</td><td>Eppendorf, Ai Bende (Shanghai) International Trade Co., Ltd, Germany</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Potassium chloride</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>7447-40-7</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>potassium dihydrogen phosphate</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>7778-77-0</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Qiagen RNeasy kits</td><td>Qiagen Inc., Valencia, CA, United States</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>QuantiTect SYBR Green RT-PCR kits</td><td>Qiagen Inc., Valencia, CA, United States</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>RevertAid First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit</td><td>Thermo Scientific, Wilmington, DE, United States</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>sodium chloride</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>7647-14-5</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>sodium hydroxide</td><td>Sinopharm chemical reagent company Ltd, China</td><td>1310-73-2</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>sodium hypochlorite solution</td><td>Aladdin, Shanghai Aladdin biochemical technology co. Ltd, China</td><td>7681-52-9</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>tryptone</td><td>OXOID, Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK</td><td>73049-73-7</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>yeast extract</td><td>OXOID, Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK</td><td>119-44-8</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

using caenorhabditis elegans for studying trans- and multi-generational effects of toxicants

Information about toxicities of chemicals are essential in their application and waste management. For chemicals at low concentrations, the long-term effects are very important in judging their consequences in the environment and on human health. In demonstrating long-term influences, effects of chemicals over generations in recent studies provide new insight. Here, we describe protocols for studying effects of chemicals over multiple generations using free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Two aspects are presented: (1) trans-generational (TG) and (2) multi-generational effect studies, the latter of which is separated to multi-generational exposure (MGE) and multi-generational residual (MGR) effect studies. The TG effect study is robust with a simple purpose to determine whether chemical exposure to parents can result in any residual consequences on offspring. After the effects are measured on parents, sodium hypochlorite solutions are used to kill the parents and keep the offspring so as to facilitate effect measurement on the offspring. The TG effect study is used to determine whether the offspring are affected when their parent is exposed to the pollutants. The MGE and MGR effect study is systematical used to determine whether continuous generational exposure can result in adaptive responses in offspring over generations. Careful pick-up and transfer are used to distinguish generations to facilitate effect measurement on each generation. We also combined protocols to measure locomotion behavior, reproduction, lifespan, biochemical and gene expression changes. Some example experiments are also presented to illustrate the trans- and multi-generational effect studies.

Here, we describe protocols for studying effects of chemicals over generations using C. elegans in trans-generational (TG), multi-generational exposure (MGE) and multi-generational residual (MGR) effect studies. Our own research results are presented as examples. One study presents the TG effects of heavy metals on locomotion behavior3. The other two studies present MGE and MGR effects of sulfomethoxazole and lindane on the reproduction and biochemical and...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Using Caenorhabditis elegans for Studying Trans- and Multi-Generational Effects of Toxicants at JoVE.com

Using Caenorhabditis elegans for Studying Trans- and Multi-Generational Effects of Toxicants

Trans- and multi-generational effects of persistent chemicals are essential in judging their long-term consequences in the environment and on the human health. We provide novel detailed methods for studying trans- and multi-generational effects using free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Using Caenorhabditis elegans for Studying Trans- and Multi-Generational Effects of Toxicants

Information about toxicities of chemicals are essential in their application and waste management. For chemicals at low concentrations, the long-term ...

using-caenorhabditis-elegans-for-studying-trans-multi-generational

Research

JoVE Journal

Environment

6.7K Views.  Tongji University. Het gepresenteerde protocol zal studies vergemakkelijken over de trans en de multi-generationele effecten van eiwitten die lange tijd in het milieu kunnen bestaan. We gebruikten een vrijlevende nematode met 99,5 als hermafrodieten om tijd en moeite te besparen bij het bestuderen van trans- en multigenerationele effecten. Deze techniek kan worden gebruikt om de effecten op lange termijn van einddrugs aan te tonen, omdat de aaltjes in het huidige protocol veel conservatieve mechanismen of paden...

Video: Using Caenorhabditis elegans for Studying Trans- and Multi-Generational Effects of Toxicants

Comprehensive Assessment of Germline Chemical Toxicity Using the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Identifying the reproductive toxicity of the thousands of chemicals present in our environment has been one of the most tantalizing challenges in the field of environmental health. This is due in part to the paucity of model systems that can (1) accurately recapitulate keys features of reproductive processes and (2) do so in a medium- to high-throughput fashion, without the need for a high number of vertebrate animals.
We describe here an assay in the nematode C. elegans that allows the rapid identification of germline toxicants by monitoring the induction of aneuploid embryos. By making use of a GFP reporter line, errors in chromosome segregation resulting from germline disruption are easily visualized and quantified by automated fluorescence microscopy. Thus the screening of a particular set of compounds for its toxicity can be performed in a 96- to 384-well plate format in a matter of days. Secondary analysis of positive hits can be performed to determine whether the chromosome abnormalities originated from meiotic disruption or from early embryonic chromosome segregation errors. Altogether, this assay represents a fast first-pass strategy for the rapid assessment of germline dysfunction following chemical exposure.

Comprehensive Assessment of Germline Chemical Toxicity Using the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

We describe the detailed steps of a high-throughput chemical assay in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans used to assess germline toxicity. In this assay, disruption of germline function following chemical exposure is monitored using a fluorescent reporter specific to aneuploid embryos.

Identifying the reproductive toxicity of the thousands of chemicals present in our environment has been one of the most tantalizing challenges in the ...

Developmental Biology

The Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans - A Versatile In Vivo Model to Study Host-microbe Interactions

We demonstrate a method using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model host to study microbial interaction. Microbes are introduced via the diet making the intestine the primary location for disease. The nematode intestine structurally and functionally mimics mammalian intestines and is transparent making it amenable to microscopic study of colonization. Here we show that pathogens can cause disease and death. We are able to identify microbial mutants that show altered virulence. Its conserved innate response to biotic stresses makes C. elegans an excellent system to probe facets of host innate immune interactions. We show that hosts with mutations in the dual oxidase gene cannot produce reactive oxygen species and are unable to resist microbial insult. We further demonstrate the versatility of the presented survival assay by showing that it can be used to study the effects of inhibitors of microbial growth. This assay may also be used to discover fungal virulence factors as targets for the development of novel antifungal agents, as well as provide an opportunity to further uncover host-microbe interactions. The design of this assay lends itself well to high throughput whole-genome screens, while the ability to cryo-preserve worms for future use makes it a cost-effective and attractive whole animal model to study.

The Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans - A Versatile In Vivo Model to Study Host-microbe Interactions

Here, we present the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a versatile host model to study microbial interaction.

We demonstrate a method using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model host to study microbial interaction. Microbes are introduced via the diet making the ...

Genetics

A High-throughput Assay for the Prediction of Chemical Toxicity by Automated Phenotypic Profiling of Caenorhabditis elegans

Applying toxicity testing of chemicals in higher order organisms, such as mice or rats, is time-consuming and expensive, due to their long lifespan and maintenance issues. On the contrary, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) has advantages to make it an ideal choice for toxicity testing: a short lifespan, easy cultivation, and efficient reproduction. Here, we describe a protocol for the automatic phenotypic profiling of C. elegans in a 384-well plate. The nematode worms are cultured in a 384-well plate with liquid medium and chemical treatment, and videos are taken of each well to quantify the chemical influence on 33 worm features. Experimental results demonstrate that the quantified phenotype features can classify and predict the acute toxicity for different chemical compounds and establish a priority list for further traditional chemical toxicity assessment tests in a rodent model.

A High-throughput Assay for the Prediction of Chemical Toxicity by Automated Phenotypic Profiling of Caenorhabditis elegans

A quantitative method has been developed to identify and predict the acute toxicity of chemicals by automatically analyzing the phenotypic profiling of Caenorhabditis elegans. This protocol describes how to treat worms with chemicals in a 384-well plate, capture videos, and quantify toxicological related phenotypes.

Applying toxicity testing of chemicals in higher order organisms, such as mice or rats, is time-consuming and expensive, due to their long lifespan and ...

Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants

Bisphenols, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) are polymerizing agents widely used in the production of plastics and numerous everyday-use products. Based on their chemical structure and estradiol-like biological properties, they have been classified as endocrine disrupting compounds (EDC). Long-term exposure to EDCs, even at low doses, has been linked to various health defects including cancer, behavioral disorders and infertility, with greater vulnerability indicated during early developmental periods. Cellular and molecular studies with the genetically tractable nematode model Caenorhabditis elegans have demonstrated that exposure to BPA causes apoptosis, embryonic lethality and disruption in the DNA repair mechanisms. We have previously reported that exposure of C. elegans embryos to low doses of different bisphenols decreases fecundity. In addition, we have shown that the effects of exposure during the very early stages of development persist into adulthood as assayed by quantifying habituation behavior, a form of non-associative learning. Here, we provide detailed protocols for embryonic exposure to low-dose EDCs as well as the associated fecundity and anterior touch habituation assays, along with representative results.

Exposure to environmental toxicants can acutely impact development with long-term effects. Detailed protocols are provided to illustrate a strategy using an effective lab model to study the effect of early embryonic exposure to bisphenol A. We provide fecundity and behavioral assays to monitor the effectiveness of our toxicant exposure bio-assays.

Bisphenols, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and bisphenol S (BPS) are polymerizing agents widely used in the production of plastics and numerous everyday-use ...

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans

The discovery and development of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism was influential in biology, particularly in the field of aging. Many historical and contemporary studies have identified thousands of lifespan-altering paradigms, including genetic mutations, transgenic gene expression, and hormesis, a beneficial, low-grade exposure to stress. With its many advantages, including a short lifespan, easy and low-cost maintenance, and fully sequenced genome with homology to almost two-thirds of all human genes, C. elegans has quickly been adopted as an outstanding model for stress and aging biology. Here, several standardized methods are surveyed for measuring lifespan and healthspan that can be easily adapted into almost any research environment, especially those with limited equipment and funds. The incredible utility of C. elegans is featured, highlighting the capacity to perform powerful genetic analyses in aging biology without the necessity of extensive infrastructure. Finally, the limitations of each analysis and alternative approaches are discussed for consideration.

Surveying Low-Cost Methods to Measure Lifespan and Healthspan in Caenorhabditis elegans

Caenorhabditis elegans serve as an excellent model system with robust and low-cost methods for surveying healthspan, lifespan, and resilience to stress.

The discovery and development of Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism was influential in biology, particularly in the field of aging. Many ...

Measuring the Effect of Chemicals on the Growth and Reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans

Toxicological evaluation is crucial for understanding the effects of chemicals on living organisms in basic and applied biological science fields. A non-mammalian soil round worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, is a valuable model organism for toxicology studies due to its convenience and lack of animal ethics issues compared with mammalian animal systems. In this protocol, a detailed procedure of toxicological evaluation of chemicals in C. elegans is described. A clinical anticancer drug, etoposide, which targets human topoisomerase II and inhibits DNA replication of human cancer cells, was selected as a model testing chemical. Age-synchronized C. elegans eggs were exposed to either dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or etoposide, and then the growth of C. elegans was monitored every day for 4 days by the stereo microscope observation. The total number of eggs laid from C. elegans treated with DMSO or etoposide was also counted by using the stereo microscope. Etoposide treatment significantly affected the growth and reproduction of C. elegans. By comparison of the total number of eggs laid from worms with different treatment periods of chemicals, it can be decided that the reproductive toxicity of chemicals on C. elegans reproduction is reversible or irreversible. These protocols may be helpful for both the development of various drugs and risk assessment of environmental toxicants.

Measuring the Effect of Chemicals on the Growth and Reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans

A basic protocol to evaluate the toxicity of chemicals in a model animal, Caenorhabditis elegans, is described. The method is convenient and useful for the development of pharmaceuticals as well as for the risk assessment of various environmental pollutants.

Toxicological evaluation is crucial for understanding the effects of chemicals on living organisms in basic and applied biological science fields. A ...

Medicine

Measuring the Effects of Bacteria on C. Elegans Behavior Using an Egg Retention Assay

C. elegans egg-laying behavior is affected by environmental cues such as osmolarity1 and vibration2. In the total absence of food C. elegans also cease egg-laying and retain fertilized eggs in their uterus3. However, the effect of different sources of food, especially pathogenic bacteria and particularly Enterococcus faecalis, on egg-laying
	behavior is not well characterized. The egg-in-worm (EIW) assay is a useful tool to quantify the effects of different types of bacteria, in this case E. faecalis, on egg- laying behavior.
	
	EIW assays involve counting the number of eggs retained in the uterus of C. elegans4. The EIW assay involves bleaching staged, gravid adult C. elegans to remove the cuticle and separate the retained eggs from the animal. Prior to bleaching, worms are exposed to bacteria (or any type of environmental cue) for a fixed period of time. After bleaching, one is very easily able to count the number of eggs retained inside the uterus of the worms. In this assay, a quantifiable increase in egg retention after E. faecalis exposure can be easily measured. The EIW assay is a behavioral assay that may be used to screen for potentially pathogenic bacteria or the presence of environmental toxins. In addition, the EIW assay may be a tool to screen for drugs that affect neurotransmitter signaling since egg-laying behavior is modulated by neurotransmitters such as serotonin and acetylcholine5-9.

Measuring the Effects of Bacteria on C. Elegans Behavior Using an Egg Retention Assay

An egg-in-worm (EIW) assay is a useful method to quantify egg-laying behavior. Alterations in egg laying can be a behavioral response of the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans to potentially harmful environmental substances such as those produced by pathogenic bacteria.

C. elegans egg-laying behavior is  affected by environmental cues such as osmolarity1 and  vibration2. In the total absence of food C. elegans also cease ...

Biology

Culturing Caenorhabditis elegans in Axenic Liquid Media and Creation of Transgenic Worms by Microparticle Bombardment

In this protocol, we present the required materials, and the procedure for making modified&#160;C. elegans&#160;Habituation and Reproduction media (mCeHR). Additionally, the steps for exposing and acclimatizing C. elegans grown on E. coli to axenic liquid media are described. Finally, downstream experiments that utilize axenic C. elegans illustrate the benefits of this procedure. The ability to analyze and determine C. elegans&#160;nutrient requirement was illustrated by growing N2 wild type worms in axenic liquid media with varying heme concentrations. This procedure can be replicated with other nutrients to determine the optimal concentration for worm growth and development or, to determine the toxicological effects of drug treatments. The effects of varied heme concentrations on the growth of wild type worms were determined through qualitative microscopic observation and by quantitating the number of worms that grew in each heme concentration. In addition, the effect of varied nutrient concentrations can be assayed by utilizing worms that express fluorescent sensors that respond to changes in the nutrient of interest. Furthermore, a large number of worms were easily produced for the generation of transgenic C. elegans using microparticle bombardment.

Culturing Caenorhabditis elegans in Axenic Liquid Media and Creation of Transgenic Worms by Microparticle Bombardment

C. elegans is usually grown on solid agar plates or in liquid cultures seeded with E. coli. To prevent bacterial byproducts from confounding toxicological and nutritional studies, we utilized an axenic liquid medium, CeHR, to grow and synchronize a large number of worms for a range of downstream applications.

In this protocol, we present the required materials, and the procedure for making modified&#160;C. elegans&#160;Habituation and Reproduction media ...

Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Discovering Bioactive Compounds Against Polyglutamine-Mediated Neurotoxicity

Age-related misfolding and aggregation of pathogenic proteins are responsible for several neurodegenerative diseases. For example, Huntington&#39;s disease (HD) is principally driven by a CAG nucleotide repeat that encodes an expanded glutamine tract in huntingtin protein. Thus, the inhibition of polyglutamine (polyQ) aggregation and, in particular, aggregation-associated neurotoxicity is a useful strategy for the prevention of HD and other polyQ-associated conditions. This paper introduces generalized experimental protocols to assess the neuroprotective capacity of test compounds against HD using established polyQ transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans models. The AM141 strain is chosen for the polyQ aggregation assay as an age-associated phenotype of discrete fluorescent aggregates can be easily observed in its body wall at the adult stage due to muscle-specific expression of polyQ::YFP fusion proteins. In contrast, the HA759 model with strong expression of polyQ-expanded tracts in ASH neurons is used to examine neuronal death and chemoavoidance behavior. To comprehensively evaluate the neuroprotective capacity of target compounds, the above test results are ultimately presented as a radar chart with profiling of multiple phenotypes in a manner of direct comparison and direct viewing.

Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System for Discovering Bioactive Compounds Against Polyglutamine-Mediated Neurotoxicity

Here, we present a protocol to assess the neuroprotective activities of test compounds in Caenorhabditis elegans, including polyglutamine aggregation, neuronal death, and chemoavoidance behavior, as well as an exemplary integration of multiple phenotypes.

Age-related misfolding and aggregation of pathogenic proteins are responsible for several neurodegenerative diseases. For example, Huntington&#39;s ...

Neuroscience

Examining the Effect of Pesticides on Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons

Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model organism used in many research laboratories to understand the consequences of exposure to chemical pollutants, pesticides, and a wide variety of toxic substances. These nematodes are easy to work with and can be used to generate novel research findings, even in the undergraduate biology laboratory. A multi-week laboratory series of authentic, student-driven research projects trains students in a toolkit of techniques and approaches in behavioral measurements, cell biology, and microscopy that they then apply to their projects. One technique in that toolkit is quantifying the percentage of neurons exhibiting neurodegenerative damage following exposure to a chemical toxicant like a pesticide. Young adult C. elegans nematodes can be exposed to different concentrations of commercially available pesticides or other types of toxicants for 2-24 h. Then, undergraduate students can visualize different neuron subtypes using fluorescent-expressing strains of C. elegans. These techniques do not require sophisticated image processing software and are effective at even low magnifications, making the need for expensive confocal microscopy unnecessary. This paper demonstrates how to treat the nematodes with pesticides and how to image and score the neurons. It also provides a straightforward protocol for the microscopy and analysis of neuron morphology. The materials used for this technique are inexpensive and readily available in most undergraduate biology departments. This technique can be combined with behavioral measures like locomotion, basal slowing, or egg-laying to conduct a potentially publishable series of experiments and give undergraduate students an authentic research experience at a very low cost.

Examining the Effect of Pesticides on Caenorhabditis elegans Neurons

Young adult Caenorhabditis elegans nematodes are exposed to different concentrations of commercial pesticides or other toxicants for 2-24 h. Then, different neurons can be visualized using fluorescent-expressing strains. This paper demonstrates how to expose nematodes to pesticides and assess neuron damage.

Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model organism used in many research laboratories to understand the consequences of exposure to chemical pollutants, ...

Using Caenorhabditis elegans for Studying Trans- and Multi-Generational Effects of Toxicants

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