Wood, Megan et al. (2013) International Worm Meeting "Assembly of RNP granules in C. elegans oocytes promotes oocyte quality and is regulated by the cytoskeleton."

Gorman, Kevin, Schisa, Jennifer, Boag, Peter, Severance, Ashley, Davis, Gregory, Patterson, Joseph, Hollis, Angela, Wood, Megan

[International Worm Meeting, 2013]

In many animal species, oocytes arrest in meiosis until they are fertilized. It is well established that fertility diminishes as oocytes age. Our goal is to better understand the regulation and function of large ribonucleoprotein (RNP) granules that assemble in the germ lines of Caenorhabditis nematodes that are either stressed or in which ovulation is arrested. The RNP granules are hypothesized to maintain oocyte quality by regulating mRNA stability or translation in arrested or stressed oocytes (Jud et al., 2008). Their assembly is influenced by nuclear pore proteins, and we have hypothesized that nuclear blebs trafficking from the nuclear envelope to the cortex may promote the formation of the cortical RNP granules (Patterson et al., 2011). We have performed a targeted, functional RNAi screen to identify genes that are required for the assembly of RNP granules in arrested oocytes and identified 143 genes that are necessary. Among the gene classes of our positives are several cytoskeleton proteins including KCA-1 (kinesin cargo adaptor), several beta-tubulins, and WSP-1 (involved in actin polymerization). To gain insight into the mechanism of action of RNP granule regulators we are dissecting defined protein complexes; e.g. we are determining if KLC-1 (kinesin light chain) and UNC-116 (kinesin 1 heavy chain) which function with KCA-1 to position the meiotic spindle (Yang et al., 2005), also contribute to RNP granule assembly. The discovery of these novel regulators of RNP granule assembly allows for direct testing of our hypothesis for their function. When the normal assembly of RNP granules is prevented, we observe fertility is decreased, supporting the hypothesis that RNP granules maintain the quality of oocytes when fertilization is delayed. On-going studies are testing if RNA stability is diminished or translation of maternal mRNAs is de-repressed when RNP granule assembly is defective. These results have provided insight into novel regulators of RNP dynamics that likely apply to RNPs important for fertility and stress responses in many species.

Johansen JL et al. (2019) Ecotoxicol Environ Saf "Wood ash decreases cadmium toxicity to the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans."

David MF, Vestergard M, Johansen JL, Ekelund F

[Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2019]

Wood ash is a beneficial fertilizer and liming agent in nutrient depleted soils, but it also contains considerable amounts of cadmium (Cd), which can be toxic to organisms in the environment. Therefore, risk assessments regarding utilization of wood ash is required. Here, we studied how wood ash (applied in doses equivalent to 0, 3 and 6t ha^-1) and Cd (applied in doses of 0, 10, 150, 300, 600, 1200 and 2000mgkg^-1) affected growth of the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The treatments were combined in a full factorial design. Wood ash alone greatly stimulated both soil respiration and growth of C. elegans, whereas Cd alone had a toxic effect. However, unrealistically high Cd levels were needed to severely affect growth of C. elegans and soil respiration, especially soil respiration was very resilient to Cd amendment. Ash addition decreased Cd toxicity to C. elegans, with an EC₅₀ value of 390mgCdkg^-1 in the 3t ash ha^-1 treatment, and an increase of EC₅₀ to 1894mgCdkg^-1 in the 6t ash ha^-1 treatment. This is probably because ash increases the Cd sorption capacity of the soil, and thereby decreases the bio-availability of Cd. The results suggest that there is no acute toxic effect of Cd to nematodes associated with wood ash recycling; in fact, our results suggest that ash actually decrease Cd toxicity.

Shimada A et al. (2010) Z Naturforsch C "Nematicidal activity of beauvericin produced by the fungus Fusarium bulbicola."

Koshino H, Kimura Y, Shimada A, Fujioka S

[Z Naturforsch C, 2010]

A nematicide, beauvericin (1), was isolated from cultures of the fungus Fusarium bulbicola, and its structure was identified by spectroscopic analysis. Compound 1 showed nematicidal activities against the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Manser J et al. (1995) International C. elegans Meeting "CELL MIGRATION GENE PRODUCT MIG-10 IS SIMILAR TO A FAMILY OF SH2 DOMAIN PROTEINS"

Roonprapunt C, Manser J, Margolis B

[International C. elegans Meeting, 1995]

mig-10 is required for the long range antero-posterior migration of embryonic neurons CAN, ALM and HSN and proper development of the excretory canals (Manser and Wood, Dev. Genet. 11: 49-64). Mosaic analysis suggests a cell non-autonomous role for mig-10 in exc canal development.

Ohtani K et al. Z Naturforsch C "Nematicidal activities of 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid and oidiolactone D produced by the fungus Oidiodendron sp."

Ohtani K, Kawano T, Kimura Y, Shimada A, Fujioka S

[Z Naturforsch C]

Two nematicides, 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (4-HPA) (1) and oidiolactone D (2), were isolated from cultures of the fungus Oidiodendron sp., and their structures were identified by spectroscopic analyses. Compound 2 showed nematicidal activities against the root-lesion nematode, Pratylenchus penetrans, and the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus. Compound 1 was also active against these two nematodes but to a lesser extent.

Kimura Y et al. (2007) Z Naturforsch C "Nematicidal activity of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furoic acid against plant-parasitic nematodes."

Hayashi A, Shimada A, Tani S, Kawano T, Fujioka S, Kimura Y, Ohtani K

[Z Naturforsch C, 2007]

A nematicide, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furoic acid (1), was isolated from cultures of the fungus Aspergillus sp. and its structure was identified by spectroscopic analysis. Compound 1 showed effective nematicidal activities against the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus and the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans without inhibitory activity against plant growth, but 1 did not show any effective nematicidal activity against Pratylenchus penetrans.

Cai K et al. (2012) J Sci Food Agric "Significant damage-rescuing effects of wood vinegar extract in living Caenorhabditis elegans under oxidative stress."

Jiang S, Ren C, Cai K, He Y

[J Sci Food Agric, 2012]

BACKGROUND: Wood vinegar (WV), a byproduct from the charcoal production process, has been reported to have excellent antioxidant capability by chemical examination. However, the biological effect of WV in living animals is still unknown. In this study, a simple model organism, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, was used as an in vivo system to assess the biological effects of wood vinegar through the development, lifespan, brood size, germline cell apoptosis and superoxide dismutase (SOD) level. RESULTS: Wood vinegar extract (WVE) promoted the development, prolonged the lifespan and increased the brood size in reactive oxidative species (ROS)-sensitive mutant worms. WVE treatment rescued the effects of damage in germline cell apoptosis and SOD upregulation induced by paraquat, an ROS generator, to the control level. Additionally, WVE showed comparative ability in rescuing damage as compared with L-ascorbic acid and -tocopherol. CONCLUSION: WVE treatment exhibits a remedial/beneficial effect on ROS-sensitive mutant under normal cultural conditions and on wild-type worms under oxidative stress. ROS scavenging is involved in the damage-rescuing mechanism. This study will provide a basal biological and nutritional exploration for the use of WV as a functional food, and for the substitution of chemical antioxidants with side effects in food.

Hegemann, Birte et al. (2010) C. elegans: Development and Gene Expression, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany "Expression profiling in Caenorhabditis elegans for risk assessment of fine particles originating from the combustion of wood"

Hegemann, Birte, Dietrich, Daniel, Ahlf, Wolfgang

[C. elegans: Development and Gene Expression, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany, 2010]

Fine particle exhaust from the combustion of wood has become a relevant issue in risk assessment for human health because there is an increased use of renewable energy. Our project intends to establish in vitro methods that provide a holistic risk assessment of fine particles originating from the furnaces of wood. As a particle feeder C. elegans is a suitable model organism to examine the effect of ingested particles. Expression profiling is conducted with C. elegans to identify and distinguish the modes of action of the particles. Former studies by other authors reveal a high risk for mammals exposed to atmospheric dusts to present with respiratory diseases e.g. asthma, COPD and lung cancer. The latter is ascribed to oxi dative stress and ensuing reactive oxygen species within the alveolar tissue. Although the oxidative stress mediated pattern of changes in gene expression in C. elegans is well characterised, it does not allow clear distinction of changes subsequent to pure oxidative stressors from other stresses. A first step is to characterize signal-transduction factors possibly unanimously involved in an oxidative stress response. This includes the transcription factor skn-1. Skn-1 displays a relation to human Nrf2 transcription factor and in embryonic development is required for intestinal development. Its nuclear translocation is regulated by p38 MAPK. In the nucleus skn-1 initiates the transcription of many genes responsible for the defence against oxidative stress and for phase II detoxification. GFP fusion proteins may allow clarification of the role of key-factors in the oxidative stress. Furthermore we will concentrate on other modes of action induced by wood combustion particles e.g. neuro- and cytotoxity, inflammation, endocrine disruption or mutagenicity. In combination with other test systems encompassing cell lines and bacteria we aim to achieve a holistic risk assessment for particles originating from the combustion of wood.

Baker M (2011) Nat Methods "More options for gene editing."

Baker M

[Nat Methods, 2011]

Engineering precise genetic changes in a genome is powerful way to study gene function, and several recent papers describe new applications of gene-editing tools. Working with researchers at Sangamo BioSciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Barbara Meyer and her colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, described the first systems for making targeted genomic modifications in the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, a valuable model organism (Wood et al., 2011).

Mains PE (1992) Results Probl Cell Differ "Embryonic development in Caenorhabditis elegans."

Mains PE

[Results Probl Cell Differ, 1992]

Nematodes were first used to study embryogenesis more than 100 years ago, and this in part led to the concepts of cell-autonomous differentiation and localized cytoplasmic determinants. More recently, the techniques of genetics, experimental and descriptive embryology, and molecular biology have been combined to study the development of the small, free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (Brenner 1974, 1988. This chapter focuses on embryonic development and is intended as a general overview of C. elegans embryogenesis, illustrating the experimental techniques available for this organism and the conclusions that can be drawn. Excellent reviews on postembryonic development (i.e. after hatching) in C. elegans and most other aspects of the worm's development, genetics and biology can be found in Wood (1988a). This book includes extensive appendices detailing techniques and anatomy and includes phenotypic descriptions of all mutants known at the time of publication. Other reviews of C. elegans embryogenesis can be found in Kemphues (1989), Wood (1988b), Schierenberg (1989) and Strome (1989).