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.

Driscoll M et al. (2000) Nat Neurosci "Closing in on a mammalian touch receptor."

Tavernarakis N, Driscoll M

[Nat Neurosci, 2000]

A recent Nature paper on mice lacking the Na+ channel BNC1 shows that this channel is essential for neuronal touch receptor function and may be part of a mechanosensory complex.

Adoutte A (2000) Nature "Evolutionary biology. Small but mighty timekeepers."

Adoutte A

[Nature, 2000]

A tiny RNA molecule ensures that the larvae of a roundworm develop into adults. The discovery of this RNA in many other animal groups implies that this way of keeping developmental time may be universal.

Little P (1992) Nature "DNA sequencing. The worm turns and delivers."

Little P

[Nature, 1992]

Supporters of large DNA sequencing projects will take heart (and find much to learn) from the report by J. Sulston and colleagues that appears on page 37 of this issue. Sulston et al. describe the first results of the Caenorhabditis elegans genome sequencing project, and have come up with not only hitherto unknown genes but also with fresh and biologically relevant information.

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.

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.

Marx JL (1990) Science "The nematode as a guide to human brain disease."

Marx JL

[Science, 1990]

Can a lowly worm help neurobiologists untangle the pathology of Alzheimer's, Huntington's, Parkinson's, and other human brain diseases? That surprising question kept cropping up at a recent Dahlem conference on degenerative brain disorders. Although progress has been made toward understanding those disorders, conference participants had to conclude that they don't yet know nearly enough about how brain cells die. And that's where the lowly worm may

Pinder JC et al. (2000) Nature "A protein accumulator."

Baines AJ, Pinder JC

[Nature, 2000]

We thought we knew what spectrin does. Is it not the elastic, membrane-bound protein that prevents red blood cells from rupturing as they circulate in the bloodstream? And does it not have the same supporting function in other cells? The second assumption has seldom been questioned over the past two decades, but has just been overturned by the power of experimental genetics, as described in three reports in the Journal of Cell Biology. The results may bear on human diseases such as muscular dystrophy.

Kwon S et al. (2018) BMB Rep "Mitochondria-mediated defense mechanisms against pathogens in Caenorhabditis elegans."

Kwon S, Lee SV, Kim EJE

[BMB Rep, 2018]

Mitochondria are crucial organelles that generate cellular energy and metabolites. Recent studies indicate that mitochondria also regulate immunity. In this review, we discuss key roles of mitochondria in immunity against pathogen infection and underlying mechanisms, focusing on discoveries using Caenorhabditis elegans. Various mitochondrial processes, including mitochondrial surveillance mechanisms, mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt), mitophagy, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, contribute to immune responses and resistance of C. elegans against pathogens. Biological processes of C. elegans are usually conserved across phyla. Thus, understanding the mechanisms of mitochondria-mediated defense responses in C. elegans may provide insights into similar mechanisms in complex organisms, including mammals.

Riddle DL (1999) Nature "Ageing. A message from the gonads."

Riddle DL

[Nature, 1999]

Animal evolution is commonly viewed as producing diverse, environmentally adapted bodies to propagate the germ line. The evolutionary theory of ageing suggests that genetic limits to lifespan may be inadvertent consequences of evolutionary selection for maximizing that propagation. In other words, trade-offs occur that favour reproductive success over post-reproductive longevity; lifespan should be inversely correlated with fecundity when progeny production diverts resources from the maintenance of somatic (non-reproductive) cells. The germ line contains all the genetic information to specify the soma. But it is also possible that there are other, environmentally modulated instructions for life history that the germ line conveys to the soma to maximize reproduction.