Emerson F et al. (2020) Elife "A memory of longevity."

Lee SS, Li CL, Emerson F

[Elife, 2020]

Worms with increased levels of the epigenetic mark H3K9me2 have a longer lifespan that can be passed down to future generations.

Daniel Bumbarger et al. (2007) International Worm Meeting "Three-Dimensional Reconstruction of Sensory organs in the nematode Acrobeles complexus."

Mark Ellisman, Daniel Bumbarger, James Baldwin, John Crum

[International Worm Meeting, 2007]

The cuticular sensilla and internal sensory receptors are known to mediate fundamental behavioral responses in the nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans. Behaviors such as olfactory attraction and avoidance are likely of prime importance in the ecological interactions of other nematodes; such behaviors may include locating insect, plant or vertebrate hosts in parasitic groups. The generalization of features of the C. elegans sensory system is inhibited by a poor understanding of the homology and functional morphology of equivalent organs in other nematodes. Here, we present a reconstruction of the morphology of the sensory organs in the nose of the microbivore, Acrobeles complexus (Cephalobinae). This nematode is a distant relative of C. elegans and is more closely related to the plant parasitic tylenchid nematodes. Hypotheses of homology for individual sensory cells are proposed. In several instances, proposed homologs of dendritic processes of C. elegans vary anatomically in ways that suggest substantial shifts in sensory function.

Wu Y et al. (2017) Curr Top Dev Biol "Regulation of Cell Polarity by PAR-1/MARK Kinase."

Wu Y, Griffin EE

[Curr Top Dev Biol, 2017]

PAR-1/MARK kinases are conserved serine/threonine kinases that are essential regulators of cell polarity. PAR-1/MARK kinases localize and function in opposition to the anterior PAR proteins to control the asymmetric distribution of factors in a wide variety polarized cells. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms that control the localization and activity of PAR-1/MARK kinases, including their antagonistic interactions with the anterior PAR proteins. We focus on the role PAR-1 plays in the asymmetric division of the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote, in the establishment of the anterior/posterior axis in the Drosophila oocyte and in the control of microtubule dynamics in mammalian neurons. In addition to conserved aspects of PAR-1 biology, we highlight the unique ways in which PAR-1 acts in these distinct cell types to orchestrate their polarization. Finally, we review the connections between disruptions in PAR-1/MARK function and Alzheimer's disease and cancer.

Benecke M et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "DNA Fingerprinting in C. elegans - An Approach."

Epplen JT, Schierenberg E, Benecke M

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

DNA fingerprinting in C. elegans - an approach Mark Beneckea, Jorg T. Epplenb and Einhard Schierenberga a Zoologisches Institut der Univeritat, 50923 Koln, Germany b Ruhr-Universitat, Ab1. fur Molekulare Humangenetik, 44780 Bochum, Germany

Butkevich E et al. (2016) Sci Rep "Phosphorylation of FEZ1 by Microtubule Affinity Regulating Kinases regulates its function in presynaptic protein trafficking."

Grosche J, Erck C, Urlaub H, Nikolov M, Klopfenstein DR, Butkevich E, Chua JJ, Hartig W, Schmidt CF

[Sci Rep, 2016]

Adapters bind motor proteins to cargoes and therefore play essential roles in Kinesin-1 mediated intracellular transport. The regulatory mechanisms governing adapter functions and the spectrum of cargoes recognized by individual adapters remain poorly defined. Here, we show that cargoes transported by the Kinesin-1 adapter FEZ1 are enriched for presynaptic components and identify that specific phosphorylation of FEZ1 at its serine 58 regulatory site is mediated by microtubule affinity-regulating kinases (MARK/PAR-1). Loss of MARK/PAR-1 impairs axonal transport, with adapter and cargo abnormally co-aggregating in neuronal cell bodies and axons. Presynaptic specializations are markedly reduced and distorted in FEZ1 and MARK/PAR-1 mutants. Strikingly, abnormal co-aggregates of unphosphorylated FEZ1, Kinesin-1 and its putative cargoes are present in brains of transgenic mice modelling aspects of Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder exhibiting impaired axonal transport and altered MARK activity. Our findings suggest that perturbed FEZ1-mediated synaptic delivery of proteins arising from abnormal signalling potentially contributes to the process of neurodegeneration.

Daniel J Bumbarger et al. (2005) International Worm Meeting "Complex configuration of epidermal cells underlying cuticular feeding appendages in Acrobeles complexus(Nematoda: Rhabditida)"

Daniel J Bumbarger, John Crum, Mark Ellisman, James G Baldwin

[International Worm Meeting, 2005]

Acrobeles complexus is a free-living microbial-feeding nematode with two rings of elaborate cuticular appendages (probolae) surrounding the buccal cavity. There is a gradient in morphology with some taxa having simple probolae and others, including A. complexus, with elaborate structures. Molecular phylogenies suggest that probolae evolved relatively rapidly making the group suitable for tractable questions about the evolution of novelty. Here, we have reconstructed the shape and nuclei of 13 cells in the nose from serial sections in adults and juveniles. Nuclei in first stage juveniles are large and readily resolved with light microscopy. Also reconstructed are several relevant cytoskeletal features in the pair of ring-like arcade syncytia. The numbers of nuclei associated with cells in the nose is identical to Caenorhabditis elegans, and an additional cell was discovered in A. comlexus between the hyp-3 and hyp-4 homologs. Cell shape underlying probolae is unexpectedly complex, and provides the bases for hypotheses on how they are formed. The Hyp-2 C. elegans homolog was found to have projections underlying the cuticle of the inner ring of probolae. Surprisingly, the socket cells of the inner labial sensillae seem to be responsible for several aspects of cuticular morphology including the outer ring of probolae. Complex spatial relationships between the arcade cells, the hyp-2 homolog and probolae suggest that they may also play a role in the formation of probolae. Much of the information gained from reconstruction of A. complexus is not available for any other nematode, including C. elegans, making comparisons difficult. Work is currently underway to compare specific elements of cell shape in A. complexus to homologs in C. elegans; one goal of these comparisons is to better understand the evolution of complex morphologies i.e. feeding appendages in Rhabditida.

Skourti-Stathaki K et al. (2013) Mol Cell "Histone 3 s10 phosphorylation: "caught in the R loop!"."

Skourti-Stathaki K, Proudfoot NJ

[Mol Cell, 2013]

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Castellano-Pozo etal. (2013) describe a connection between R loop structures and histone 3 S10 phosphorylation (H3S10P), a mark of chromatin compaction. Their results constitute asignificant advance in our understanding of the role of R loops in genomic instability.

Bohdanowicz M et al. (2010) Curr Biol "Vesicular traffic: a Rab SANDwich."

Bohdanowicz M, Grinstein S

[Curr Biol, 2010]

The small GTPases Rab5 and Rab7 mark temporally distinct but sequentially connected stages in phagosome maturation, but the mechanism underlying the transition between these stages has been unclear. Recent studies in Caenorhabditis elegans have now uncovered a new protein complex that connects Rab5 to Rab7.

Hope IA (2001) Trends Genet "Broadcast interference - functional genomics."

Hope IA

[Trends Genet, 2001]

Four recent papers mark a major shift in functional genomic analysis for multicellular organisms. RNA-mediated interference was applied to inactivate individual genes systematically on a genomic scale. These studies subjected a third of the genes in the genome of Caenorhabditis elegans to reverse genetic analysis.

(1990) Worm Breeder's Gazette "CGC Bibliography in FileMaker and HyperCard (Mac) and Memory Mate ( IBM)"

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1990]

The CGC Bibliography has been translated into a couple of programs other than dBase by various worm people. David Barker and Andy Fire both have sent HyperCard versions to the CGC and Mark Blaxter has sent us a version in FileMaker 2.0. None of these is perfectly up-to-date, so you'll have to be somewhat familiar with the programs to add new references. The data files are available free from the CGC; to get yours, just send a blank 3.5' diskette to Mark Edgley at the CGC with a request letter. In addition, Lew Jacobson has translated the bibliography into a DOS program called Memory Mate and he is willing to distribute the data file to anyone who sends him a blank 5.25' 360 Kb diskette. Memory Mate can be operated as a TSR and called up with a hotkey from the middle of a word processor or other program. Addresses for Mark and Lew can be found in the Subscriber Directory Update in this issue.