Boone C et al. (2003) Nat Genet "ORFeomics: correcting the wiggle in worm genes."

Boone C, Andrews B

[Nat Genet, 2003]

A new study attempts to amplify and clone all the predicted protein-encoding open reading frames (ORFs) for Caenorhabditis elegans. This analysis confirms many of the predicted genes but suggests roughly 50% of them require correction. Recombining the ORFs into a number of different expression systems can generate functional proteomics kits for characterizing protein activity and interaction networks.

Bussey H et al. (2006) Nat Genet "From worm genetic networks to complex human diseases."

Andrews B, Bussey H, Boone C

[Nat Genet, 2006]

Systematic mapping of genetic interactions for Caenorhabditis elegans genes involved in signaling pathways implicated in human disease reveals a network of 350 interactions. The topology of this network resembles that mapped previously in yeast, reinforcing the idea that similar networks may underlie the genetic basis of complex human disease.

Costanzo M et al. (2009) Nat Methods "You too can play with an edge."

Costanzo M, Nislow C, Baryshnikova A, Andrews B, Boone C

[Nat Methods, 2009]

Hengartner MO (1998) Nature "Apoptosis. Death cycle and Swiss army knives."

Hengartner MO

[Nature, 1998]

Cytochrome c leads a double life. When a cell is called on to commit apoptotic suicide, cytochrome c relocalizes from the mitochondria to the cytosol. There, it helps to activate the foot-soldiers of apoptosis - the death proteases known as caspases. How cytochrome c escapes from the mitochondria is still a matter of debate, but it is clear that certain elements within the apoptotic regulatory hierarchy do not condone such behavior. In particular, overexpression of the cell-death suppressors Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL prevents the release of cytochrome c, suggesting that these proteins act upstream of cytochrome c in the pathway to death. However, on pages 449 and 496 of this issue, Zhivotovsky et al. and Rosse et al. show that Bcl-2 can also protect cells downstream of cytochrome c release, forcing a re-evaluation of this newly acquired dogma.

Coleman JJ et al. (2009) Cell Host Microbe "The tangled web of signaling in innate immunity."

Coleman JJ, Mylonakis E

[Cell Host Microbe, 2009]

Similarities in innate immune signaling exist between mammals and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Now, Ziegler et al. (2009) and Ren et al. (2009) demonstrate that a protein kinase C delta homolog in C. elegans is involved in innate immunity, providing evidence that the conservation of immune signaling networks extends further than previously thought.

Pennisi E (1998) Science "Worming secrets from the C. elegans genome."

Pennisi E

[Science, 1998]

The near completion of the sequence of the C. elegans genome should provide researchers with a gold mine of information on topics ranging from evolution to gene

Laxman S et al. (2014) Mol Cell "Concerted effort: oscillations in global gene expression during nematode development."

Laxman S, Tu BP, McKnight SL

[Mol Cell, 2014]

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Hendriks et al. (2014) uncover extensive oscillations in global gene expression during C. elegans development, in synchrony with the molting cycle.

Lloyd TE et al. (2001) Nat Neurosci "pRIMing synaptic vesicles for fusion."

Bellen HJ, Lloyd TE

[Nat Neurosci, 2001]

A characterization of C. elegans lacking the gene for Rim suggests that this protein may be involved in pruning synaptic vesicles for fusion, not in docking or organizing active zones.

Roush W (1997) Science "Worm longevity gene cloned."

Roush W

[Science, 1997]

A gene that helps control the life-span of the nematode C. elegans encodes the worm version of the insulin receptor, thereby providing a possible link between aging and glucose metabolism.

Blaxter M et al. (2012) BMC Biol "The worm in the world and the world in the worm."

Denver DR, Blaxter M

[BMC Biol, 2012]

Caenorhabditis elegans is a preeminent model organism, but the natural ecology of this nematode has been elusive. A four-year survey of French orchards published in BMC Biology reveals thriving populations of C. elegans (and Caenorhabditis briggsae) in rotting fruit and plant stems. Rather than being simply a 'soil nematode', C. elegans appears to be a 'plant-rot nematode'. These studies signal a growing interest in the integrated genomics and ecology of these tractable animals.