Podbilewicz B (2004) Nat Cell Biol "Sweet control of cell migration, cytokinesis and organogenesis."

Podbilewicz B

[Nat Cell Biol, 2004]

Why are proteins glycosylated? On the basis of new studies, I propose two models to clarify the specific functions of glycosylation in worms. The first explains how intra- and inter-cellular trafficking of an N-glycosylated disintegrin-metalloprotease guides somatic gonadal cells through their migratory route, determining the shape of an organ. The second explains how rigid coats of secreted chondroitin proteoglycans bend membranes to drive cytokinesis and epithelial invagination.

Evanko D (2006) Nat Methods "In praise of manual high-throughput screening."

Evanko D

[Nat Methods, 2006]

RNA interference (RNAi) and automated high-throughput screening is a promising combination. But the first systematic large-scale mapping of genetic interactions in an animal shows that manual methods still have advantages over sophisticated automated screens.

Habeos I et al. (2001) Trends Endocrinol Metab "Type 2 diabetes mellitus and worm longevity: a transcriptional link to cure?"

Habeos I, Papavassiliou AG

[Trends Endocrinol Metab, 2001]

In Caenorhabditis elegans, an insulin-like signalling pathway culminates in a transcription factor (TF) that is homologous to a subfamily of Tps responsible for the regulation of a subset of insulin-responsive genes in humans. Under harsh conditions, C. elegans reduces signalling through this pathway and arrests developmentally in a manner that is similar to the metabolic syndrome of humans. We propose that an understanding of this pathway could lead to drugs with optimal potency and selectivity in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Roberts L (1990) Science "The worm project."

Roberts L

[Science, 1990]

An exhaustive study of the tiny roundworm C. elegans has revealed a wealth of information about development and the brain. And now the effort to decipher the worm's genome is fast becoming the benchmark by which the human genome project will be measured.

Goldberg J (1991) Discover "Worm mapping."

Goldberg J

[Discover, 1991]

Undulating under the microscope, its muscle and nerve cells visible within its transparent body, the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans is normally a creature of surprising grace. But one mutant strain is not elegans at all. It thrashes about in such an uncoordinated fashion that researchers have dubbed the mutant worm "unc"...

Sims Iii RJ et al. (2009) Nat Genet "Processing the H3K36me3 signature."

Reinberg D, Sims Iii RJ

[Nat Genet, 2009]

The global patterning of histone lysine methylation has been scrutinized over the years in an effort to uncover unique features indicative of chromatin function. A study in Caenorhabditis elegans now shows that nucleosomes covering exons and introns on active genes are differentially marked by H3K36 trimethylation, suggesting a new mode of communication between chromatin and pre-mRNA processing.

Ward S (1975) Experimental Neurology "Genetic studies of chemotaxis mutants in nematodes."

Ward S

[Experimental Neurology, 1975]

The precision of neuronal development is programmed genetically. The genes involved must be expressed in an orderly sequence so that their products appear in the right cell at the right time. By studying mutants in which this sequence is altered, it should be possible to dissect the development and recognize the steps controlled by individual genes.

Sulston JE et al. (1979) Nature "A diet of worms."

Sulston JE, Hodgkin JA

[Nature, 1979]

Five years ago Brenner published an extensive genetic characterisation of the small free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Largely as a result of his pioneering work, this organism has become the subject of many different lines of research. Last May more than 120 researchers met at Cold Spring Harbor to discuss recent findings in C. elegans biology.

Wagner RW et al. (1998) Nature "Double-stranded RNA poses puzzle."

Wagner RW, Sun L

[Nature, 1998]

The human genome is predicted to contain between 50,000 and 100,000 genes. To work out what these genes do, an array of techniques is needed to evaluate the protein-protein interactions and biochemical pathways of any gene product. The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans is an excellent system for such studies because of its well-understood genetics and development, evolutionary conservation to human genes, small genome size and relatively short life cycle. The 100-megabase-pair genome will be completely sequenced this year, and a total of 17,000 genes have been predicted, many with human counterparts. Approaches used to manipulate gene expression in C. elegans include transposon-mediated deletion, antisense inhibition and direct isolation of deletions after mutagenesis. Although these methods have proved useful, limitations still exist.

Hall SS (1985) Science "The fate of the egg."

Hall SS

[Science, 1985]

The biologists who investigate nature's deepest and longest-running mystery often use the term fate map to describe the startling transformations that lie in store for the fertilized egg. It is one of the more venerable terms in embryology, and one of the most appropriate, too, for destiny and geography indeed intersect within the magnificent speck of DNA and cytoplasm that is an egg on the edge of becoming a organism. In this one cell, the entire genetic bill of lading for an animal, be it fruit fly or human, is stored, waiting to unfold with miraculous precision. It is that process of life unfurling-of cells becoming brain or backbone, of genes selectively flashing on and herding cells toward their certain fates, of tissues aggregating and differentiating toward ever more specific tasks-that both confounds and as surely delights developmental biologists.