This work was supported by NIH R35GM133588 to G.L.S., a United States National Academy of Medicine Catalyst Award to G.L.S., the State of Arizona Technology and Research Initiative Fund administered by the Arizona Board of Regents, and the Ellison Medical Foundation.

1. Preparation of stock solutions and media
NOTE: Before beginning the preparation of the multi-well devices, prepare the following stock solutions and media.
<ol>
	<li>Stock solutions for nematode growth media (NGM) and low-melt NGM (lmNGM):
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare 1 M K2HPO4: Add 174.18 g of K2HPO4 to a 1 L bottle, and fill it up to 1 L with sterile deionized water. Autoclave (121 &#176;C, 15 psig) for 30 min, and store at room temperature (RT)...

<ol>
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M., Petrascheck, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Measuring+Caenorhabditis+elegans+life+span+in+96+well+microtiter+plates.">Measuring Caenorhabditis elegans life span in 96 well microtiter plates.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (49), e2496 (2011).</li><li>Leung, C. K., Deonarine, A., Strange, K., Choe, K. P. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=High-throughput+screening+and+biosensing+with+fluorescent+C.+elegans+strains.">High-throughput screening and biosensing with fluorescent C. elegans strains.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (51), e2745 (2011).</li><li>Laranjeiro, R., Harinath, G., Burke, D., Braeckman, B. P., Driscoll, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Single+swim+sessions+in+C.+elegans+induce+key+features+of+mammalian+exercise.">Single swim sessions in C. elegans induce key features of mammalian exercise.</a> BMC Biology. 15 (1), 30 (2017).</li><li>&#199;elen, &. #. 3. 0. 4. ;., Doh, J. H., Sabanayagam, C. R. <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+liquid+cultivation+on+gene+expression+and+phenotype+of+C.+elegans.">Effects of liquid cultivation on gene expression and phenotype of C. elegans.</a> BMC Genomics. 19 (1), 562 (2018).</li><li>Pittman, W. E., 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=A+simple+apparatus+for+individual+C.+elegans+culture.">A simple apparatus for individual C. elegans culture.</a> Methods in Molecular Biology. 2144, 29-45 (2020).</li><li>Churgin, M. 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=Longitudinal+imaging+of+Caenorhabditis+elegans+in+a+microfabricated+device+reveals+variation+in+behavioral+decline+during+aging.">Longitudinal imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans in a microfabricated device reveals variation in behavioral decline during aging.</a> eLife. 6, 26652 (2017).</li><li>Jushaj, 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=Optimized+criteria+for+locomotion-based+healthspan+evaluation+in+C.+elegans+using+the+WorMotel+system.">Optimized criteria for locomotion-based healthspan evaluation in C. elegans using the WorMotel system.</a> PLoS One. 15 (3), 0229583 (2020).</li><li>Mittal, K. K., Mickey, M. R., Singal, D. P., Terasaki, P. 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Refinement of microdroplet lymphocyte cytotoxicity test.</a> Transplantation. 6 (8), 913-927 (1968).</li><li>Espejo, L., 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+culture+of+individual+Caenorhabditis+elegans+on+solid+media+for+longitudinal+fluorescence+monitoring+and+aversive+interventions.">Long-term culture of individual Caenorhabditis elegans on solid media for longitudinal fluorescence monitoring and aversive interventions.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. , (2022).</li><li>Porta-de-la-Riva, M., Fontrodona, L., Villanueva, A., Cer&#243;n, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Basic+Caenorhabditis+elegans+methods:+synchronization+and+observation.">Basic Caenorhabditis elegans methods: synchronization and observation.</a> Journal of Visualized Experiments. (64), e4019 (2012).</li><li>Freitas, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Worm+Paparazzi+-+A+high+throughput+lifespan+and+healthspan+analysis+platform+for+individual+Caenorhabditis+elegans.">Worm Paparazzi - A high throughput lifespan and healthspan analysis platform for individual Caenorhabditis elegans.</a> University of Arizona. , (2021).</li><li>Moore, B. T., Jordan, J. M., Baugh, L. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=WormSizer:+High-throughput+analysis+of+nematode+size+and+shape.">WormSizer: High-throughput analysis of nematode size and shape.</a> PLoS One. 8 (2), e57142 (2013).</li><li>Husson, S. J., Costa, W. S., Schmitt, C., Gottschalk, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Keeping+track+of+worm+trackers.">Keeping track of worm trackers.</a> WormBook. , (2013).</li><li>Roussel, N., Sprenger, J., Tappan, S. J., Glaser, J. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Robust+tracking+and+quantification+of+C.+elegans+body+shape+and+locomotion+through+coiling,+entanglement,+and+omega+bends.">Robust tracking and quantification of C. elegans body shape and locomotion through coiling, entanglement, and omega bends.</a> Worm. 3 (4), 982437 (2014).</li><li>Grubbs, J. J., vander Linden, A. M., Raizen, D. 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The WorMotel system is a powerful tool for gathering individualized data for hundreds of isolated C. elegans over time. Following the earlier studies using multi-well devices for applications in developmental quiescence, locomotory behavior, and aging, the goal of this work was to optimize the preparation of multi-well devices for the long-term monitoring of activity, health, and lifespan in a higher-throughput manner. This work provides a detailed protocol for preparing multi-well devices that optimizes many of...

Caenorhabditis elegans are commonly used in aging studies because of their short generation time (approximately 3 days), short lifespan (approximately 3 weeks), ease of cultivation in the laboratory, high degree of evolutionary conservation of molecular processes and pathways with mammals, and wide availability of genetic manipulation techniques. In the context of aging studies, C. elegans allow for the rapid generation of longevity data and aged populations for the analysis of late-life phenotypes in live animals. The typical approach for conducting worm aging studies involves manually measuring the lifespan of a population of worms maintained in groups of 20 to 70 animals on solid agar nematode growth media (NGM) in 6 cm Petri plates1. Using age-synchronized populations allows the measurement of lifespan or cross-sectional phenotypes in individual animals across the population, but this method precludes monitoring the characteristics of individual animals over time. This approach is also labor-intensive, thus restricting the size of the population that can be tested.
There are a limited number of culture methods that allow for the longitudinal monitoring of individual C. elegans throughout their lifespan, and each has a distinct set of advantages and disadvantages. Microfluidics devices, including WormFarm2, NemaLife3, and the &#34;behavior&#34; chip4, among others5,6,7, allow the monitoring of individual animals over time. Culturing worms in liquid culture using multi-well plates similarly allows the monitoring of either individual animals or small populations of C. elegans over time8,9. The liquid environment represents a distinct environmental context from the common culture environment on solid media in Petri plates, which can alter aspects of animal physiology that are relevant to aging, including fat content and the expression of stress-response genes10,11. The ability to directly compare these studies to the majority of data collected on aging C. elegans is limited by differences in potentially important environmental variables. The Worm Corral12 is one approach developed to house individual animals in an environment that more closely replicates typical solid media culture. The Worm Corral contains a sealed chamber for each animal on a microscope slide using hydrogel, allowing the longitudinal monitoring of isolated animals. This method uses standard brightfield imaging to record morphological data, such as body size and activity. However, animals are placed in the hydrogel environment as embryos, where they remain undisturbed throughout their lifespan. This requires the use of conditionally sterile mutant or transgenic genetic backgrounds, which limits both the capacity for genetic screening, as each novel mutation or transgene needs to be crossed into a background with conditional sterility, and the capacity for drug screening, as treatments can only be applied once to the animals as embryos.
An alternative method developed by the Fang-Yen lab allows the cultivation of worms on solid media in individual wells of a microfabricated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) device called a WorMotel13,14. Each device is placed into a single-well tray (i.e., with the same dimensions as a 96-well plate) and has 240 wells separated by a moat filled with an aversive solution to prevent the worms from traveling between wells. Each well can house a single worm for the duration of its lifespan. The device is surrounded by water-absorbing polyacrylamide gel pellets (referred to as &#34;water crystals&#34;), and the tray is sealed with Parafilm laboratory film to maintain the humidity and minimize the desiccation of the media. This system allows healthspan and lifespan data to be gathered for individual animals, while the use of solid media better recapitulates the environment experienced by animals in the vast majority of published C. elegans lifespan studies, thus allowing more direct comparisons. Recently, a similar technique has been developed using polystyrene microtrays that were originally used for microcytotoxicity assays15 in place of the PDMS device16. The microtray method allows for the collection of individualized data for worms cultured on solid media and has improved capacity for containing worms under conditions that would typically cause fleeing (e.g., stressors or dietary restriction), with the trade-off being that each microtray can only contain 96 animals16, whereas the multi-well device utilized here can contain up to 240 animals.
Presented here is a detailed protocol for preparing multi-well devices that is optimized for plate-to-plate consistency and the preparation of multiple devices in parallel. This protocol was adapted from the original protocol from the Fang-Yen laboratory13. Specifically, there are descriptions for techniques to minimize contamination, optimize the consistent drying of both the solid media and the bacterial food source, and deliver RNAi and drugs. This system can be used to track individual healthspan, lifespan, and other phenotypes, such as body size and shape. These multi-well devices are compatible with existing high-throughput systems to measure lifespan, which can remove much of the manual labor involved in traditional lifespan experiments and provide the opportunity for automated, direct longevity measurement and health tracking in individual C. elegans at scale.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>2.5 lb weight</td>
			<td>CAP Barbell</td>
			<td>RP-002.5</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Acrylic sheets (6 in x 4 in x 3/8 in)</td>
			<td>Falken Design</td>
			<td>ACRYLIC-CL-3-8/1224</td>
			<td>Large sheet cut to smaller sizes&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ampicillin sodium salt</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>A9518</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Autoclavable squeeze bottle</td>
			<td>Nalgene</td>
			<td>2405-0500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bacto agar</td>
			<td>BD Difco</td>
			<td>214030</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bacto peptone</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>211677</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Basin, 25 mL</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>89094-664</td>
			<td>Disposable pipette basin&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cabinet style vacuum desiccator&#160;</td>
			<td>SP Bel-Art</td>
			<td>F42400-4001</td>
			<td>Do not need to use dessicant, only using as a vacuum chamber.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CaCl2</td>
			<td>Acros Organics</td>
			<td>349615000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Caenorhabditis elegans N2</td>
			<td>Caenorhabditis Genetics Center (CGC)</td>
			<td>N2</td>
			<td>Wildtype strain</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Carbenicillin&#160;</td>
			<td>GoldBio</td>
			<td>C-103-25</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Centrifuge</td>
			<td>Beckman</td>
			<td>360902</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cholesterol</td>
			<td>ICN Biomedicals Inc</td>
			<td>101380</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Compressed oxygen tank</td>
			<td>Airgas</td>
			<td>UN1072</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>CuSO4</td>
			<td>Fisher Chemical</td>
			<td>C493-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dry bead bath incubator</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>11-718-2</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Escherichia coli OP50&#160;</td>
			<td>Caenorhabditis Genetics Center (CGC)</td>
			<td>OP50</td>
			<td>Standard labratory food for C. elegans</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ethanol</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>ex0276-4</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Floxuridine</td>
			<td>Research Products International</td>
			<td>F10705-1.0</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Hybridization oven</td>
			<td>Techne</td>
			<td>731-0177</td>
			<td>Used to cure PDMS mixture, any similar oven will suffice</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Incubators</td>
			<td>Shel Lab</td>
			<td>2020</td>
			<td>20 &#176;C incubator for maintaining worm strains and 37 &#176;C incubator to grow bacteria&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Isopropyl &#223;-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)</td>
			<td>GoldBio</td>
			<td>I2481C100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>K2HPO4</td>
			<td>Fisher Chemical</td>
			<td>P288-500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>KH2PO4</td>
			<td>Fisher Chemical</td>
			<td>P286-1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Kimwipes</td>
			<td>KimTech</td>
			<td>34155</td>
			<td>Task wipes</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>LB Broth, Lennox</td>
			<td>BD Difco</td>
			<td>240230</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Low melt agarose</td>
			<td>Research Products International</td>
			<td>A20070-250.0</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MgSO4</td>
			<td>Fisher Chemical</td>
			<td>M-8900</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microwave&#160;</td>
			<td>Sharp</td>
			<td>R-530DK</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Multichannel repeat pipette, 20&#8211;200 &#181;L LTS EDP3</td>
			<td>Rainin</td>
			<td>17013800</td>
			<td>The exact model used is no longer sold, a similar model&#39;s catalog number has been provided</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>NaCl</td>
			<td>Fisher Bioreagents</td>
			<td>BP358-1</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Nunc OmniTray</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>264728</td>
			<td>Clear polystyrene trays</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Parafilm M</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>13-374-10</td>
			<td>Double-wide (4 in)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri plate, 100 mM&#160;</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>25384-342</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Petri plate, 60 mM&#160;</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>FB0875713A</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Plasma cleaner</td>
			<td>Plasma Etch, Inc.</td>
			<td>PE-50</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PLATINUM vacuum pump</td>
			<td>JB Industries</td>
			<td>DV-142N&#160;</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PolyJet 3D printer</td>
			<td>Stratasys&#160;</td>
			<td>Objet500 Connex3</td>
			<td>PolyJet 3D printing services provided by ProtoCAM (Matrial: Vero Rigid; Finish: Matte; Color: Gloss; Resolution: X-axis: 600 dpi, Y-axis: 600 dpi, Z-axis: 1600 dpi)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Shaking incubator</td>
			<td>Lab-Line</td>
			<td>3526CC</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>smartSpatula</td>
			<td>LevGo, Inc.</td>
			<td>17211</td>
			<td>Disposable spatula</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Superabsorbent polymer (AgSAP Type S)</td>
			<td>M2 Polymer Technologies</td>
			<td>Type S</td>
			<td>Referred to in main text as &#34;water crystals&#34;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SYLGARD 184 Silicone Elastomer base</td>
			<td>The Dow Chemical Company</td>
			<td>2065622</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>SYLGARD 184 Silicone Elastomer curing agent</td>
			<td>The Dow Chemical Company</td>
			<td>2085925</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Syringe filter (0.22 &#181;m)</td>
			<td>Nest Scientific USA Inc.&#160;</td>
			<td>380111</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Syringe, 10 mL&#160;</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>14955453</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TWEEN 20</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>J20605-AP</td>
			<td>Detergent</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vacuum pump oil</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>54996-082</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>VeroBlackPlus</td>
			<td>Stratasys&#160;</td>
			<td>RGD875</td>
			<td>Rigid 3D printing filament</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Weigh boat</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific</td>
			<td>WB30304</td>
			<td>Large enough for PDMS mixture volume</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

long-term culture and monitoring of isolated caenorhabditis elegans on solid media in multi-well devices

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is among the most common model systems used in aging research owing to its simple and inexpensive culture techniques, rapid reproduction cycle (~3 days), short lifespan (~3 weeks), and numerous available tools for genetic manipulation and molecular analysis. The most common approach for conducting aging studies in C. elegans, including survival analysis, involves culturing populations of tens to hundreds of animals together on solid nematode growth media (NGM) in Petri plates. While this approach gathers data on a population of animals, most protocols do not track individual animals over time. Presented here is an optimized protocol for the long-term culturing of individual animals on microfabricated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) devices called WorMotels. Each device allows up to 240 animals to be cultured in small wells containing NGM, with each well isolated by a copper sulfate-containing moat that prevents the animals from fleeing. Building on the original WorMotel description, this paper provides a detailed protocol for molding, preparing, and populating each device, with descriptions of common technical complications and advice for troubleshooting. Within this protocol are techniques for the consistent loading of small-volume NGM, the consistent drying of both the NGM and bacterial food, options for delivering pharmacological interventions, instructions for and practical limitations to reusing PDMS devices, and tips for minimizing desiccation, even in low-humidity environments. This technique allows the longitudinal monitoring of various physiological parameters, including stimulated activity, unstimulated activity, body size, movement geometry, healthspan, and survival, in an environment similar to the standard technique for group culture on solid media in Petri plates. This method is compatible with high-throughput data collection when used in conjunction with automated microscopy and analysis software. Finally, the limitations of this technique are discussed, as well as a comparison of this approach to a recently developed method that uses microtrays to culture isolated nematodes on solid media.

The WorMotel culture system can be used to gather a variety of data, including regarding lifespan, healthspan, and activity. Published studies have utilized multi-well devices to study lifespan and healthspan13,14, quiescence and sleep22,23,24, and behavior25. Lifespan can be scored manually or through a collection of images and downstream imaging...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Long-Term Culture and Monitoring of Isolated Caenorhabditis elegans on Solid Media in Multi-Well Devices at JoVE.com

Long-Term Culture and Monitoring of Isolated Caenorhabditis elegans on Solid Media in Multi-Well Devices

Presented here is an optimized protocol for culturing isolated individual nematodes on solid media in microfabricated multi-well devices. This approach allows individual animals to be monitored throughout their lives for a variety of phenotypes related to aging and health, including activity, body size and shape, movement geometry, and survival.

Long-Term Culture and Monitoring of Isolated Caenorhabditis elegans on Solid Media in Multi-Well Devices

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is among the most common model systems used in aging research owing to its simple and inexpensive culture techniques, ...

When we're studying aging and sea elegans we're typically following a population of animals over time. This gives us a glimpse of what that process you're studying is doing in the population at each time point but it doesn't tell you how the process is changing in individual animals over time. These single animal culture environments allow us to follow dynamic changes in molecular processes and physiological processes in individual animals over time for hundreds of animals in parallel.We find that there are two major things that can really impact the quality of these multi-well culture systems. One is either over or under drying the wells and the second is contamination. And we try to note throughout the protocol specific steps where you can try to mitigate these problems.Demonstrating the protocol today will be Emily Gardea. She's a technician in my lab and has done a lot of work to optimize this protocol. After preparing all the reagents, mix 60 grams of PDMS base and six grams of curing agent per mold in a large disposable way boat using a disposable spatula.Place the PDMS mixture in a vacuum chamber for 30 minutes at minus 0.08 Mega Pascal to remove bubbles. Pour and fill the PDMS mixture into each 3D printed mold. Put the filled mold and any extra PDMS mixture in the vacuum chamber for 25 minutes at minus 0.08 Mega Pascal.Remove the filled mold from the vacuum chamber and pop any remaining bubbles with a disposable spatula. Starting with one edge, slowly lower a flat acrylic sheet on top of the PDMS filled mold. If bubble formation occurs proceed as described in the manuscript.Place a 2.5 pound weight on the acrylic and place the weighted molds in the oven. Let them cure at 55 degrees Celsius overnight. At the end of the incubation, remove the weights and the molds from the oven.Next, work a razor blade between the acrylic and the cured PDMS To break the seal Using a razor or a metal spatula, carefully loosen the sides of the cured PDMS and remove them from the mold. Wrap the PDMS device in aluminum foil. Seal it with autoclave tape and sterilize by autoclaving on a dry cycle for at least 15 minutes at 121 degrees Celsius and 15 pounds per square inch gauge pressure.To prepare the multi-well device, preheat a dry bead bath incubator to 90 degrees Celsius. Unwrap an autoclaved multi-well device and cut a small notch in the top right corner of the device. Place up to three unwrapped devices into the plasma cleaner with the wells facing up and run the plasma cleaner.Sterilize one single well polystyrene tray per device by spraying the inside of the tray with 70%ethanol and wiping it dry with a task wipe. Remove each device from the plasma cleaner with a gloved hand and place it in a cleaned tray. Then place a 25 milliliter disposable pipette basin in the bead bath incubator preheated at 90 degrees Celsius.Take one tube of solidified LMNGM pre-mixture per device to be filled and place it in a 200 milliliter glass beaker. Remove the cap and Parafilm and microwave until the media melts sufficiently to pour. Pour the molten LMNGM pre-mixture into another sterile 200 milliliter beaker.Multiple test tubes can be combined in this beaker if more than one device is filled at a time. Microwave the LMNGM pre-mixture for an additional 20 seconds. If the pre-mixture begins to boil over stop the microwave and allow it to settle.Remove the molten LMNGM pre-mixture from the microwave and cool it to 60 degrees Celsius. Add the remaining LMNGM ingredients to the pre-mix mixture and pour the molten LMNGM into the 25 milliliter basin in the bead bath. Fill the device wells using a 200 microliter multi-channel repeater pipette.Set the repeater to dispense aliquots of 14 microliters and mount five pipette tips. Load the tips with molten LMNGM and dispense the first 14 microliters back into the LMNGM containing basin. Moving quickly but carefully, dispense 14 microliters into the inner wells of the device and dispense the remaining LMNGM back into the basin as the final aliquot is typically less than 14 microliters.Next, set the repeater to dispense aliquots of 15 microliters and fill the outermost ring of wells. Using a 200 microliter pipette, dispense 200 microliters of copper sulfate solution into the device moat in each corner. Avoid overfilling the moat and ensure that the copper sulfate does not touch the top surface of the wells.If the copper sulfate does not flow easily through the entire moat, use a short platinum wire pick to help break the tension and drag the copper sulfate through the moat. After the copper sulfate has flowed through the entire moat, remove as much copper sulfate as possible using a 200 microliter pipette or aspiration with a vacuum. Using a squeeze bottle, add the water crystals in the spaces between the device and the tray walls.Close the tray lid and wrap all four sides with a piece of Parafilm. Add two additional Parafilm pieces to seal the plate completely. Using a repeater pipette, spot each well with five microliters of concentrated bacteria.Avoid direct contact with the LMNGM surface. Dry the devices using a custom-built drying box which can be constructed at minimal cost using computer case fans and HEPA filters. Under a dissection scope, inspect wells to ensure all wells have dried successfully.Using a platinum pick, transfer the animals from the prepared worm plates and add one worm per well. Add a drop of prepared detergent solution to the inside of the tray lid and rub with a task wipe until the detergent solution has dried. Wrap the tray with three pieces of Parafilm as described in the manuscript.The lifespan extension from daf-2(RNAi)is blocked by the daf-16 null mutation. The health span also decreased in the presence of daf-2(RNAi)The three-day rolling mean of activity across the lifespan is reduced by daf-16 mutant and daf-2(RNAi)The variation in lifespan and health span across individual animals compared in either absolute terms or as a fraction of the total lifespan is shown. The cumulative activity across the lifespan for individual animals correlates better with lifespan than the activity for individual animals on any specific day across the lifespan.It's important to fill the wells and to add the worms as quickly as possible. Otherwise the wells can dry out and the worms won't survive. This system is compatible with automated imaging which can be used to gather high throughput data such as lifespan, activity and body size or shape.

long-term-culture-monitoring-isolated-caenorhabditis-elegans-on-solid

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

1.5K Views.  University of Arizona. When we're studying aging and sea elegans we're typically following a population of animals over time. This gives us a glimpse of what that process you're studying is doing in the population at each time point but it doesn't tell you how the process is changing in individual animals over time. These single animal culture environments allow us to follow dynamic changes in molecular processes and physiological processes in individual animals over time for hundreds of animals in parallel....