Zarkower D et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "mab-3 YAC Rescue"

De Bono M, Hodgkin JA, Zarkower D

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

mab-3 YAC rescue David Zarkower, Mario de Bono, and Jonathan Hodgkin MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England

De Stasio E et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Mutagenesis of C. elegans Using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea."

De Stasio E, Stanislaus D, Lephoto C

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Mutagenesis of C. elegans using N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea Elizabeth De Stasio, Dinesh Stanislaus and Catherine Lephoto. Department of Biology, Lawrence University, Appleton, Wl 54911

Plasterk RHA et al. (1994) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Reverse Genetics Using Transposon Tc1: A Progress Report"

Plasterk RHA, de Vroomen M

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1994]

Reverse genetics using transposon Tcl: A progress report Ronald H.A. Plasterk, Marianne de Vroomen, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Division of Molecular Biology, Plesmanlaan 121,1066 CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands, fax + 31 20 6172625, phone +31 20 5122081, E-mail RPLAS@NKI.NL

Burgess SM et al. (1985) Worm Breeder's Gazette "X-Linked Dominant Suppressors Of her-1(n695) V"

Trent C, Wood WB, Burgess SM

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1985]

The semidominant allele her-1(n695) V causes partial masculinization of XX animals (see Trent and Wood abstract, this issue). Two X-linked suppressors of n695, ct28 and ct31, have been isolated from the F1 generation of gamma-ray-mutagenized n695 worms. Both are dominant suppressors of the n695 Tra phenotype and also exhibit a semi-dominant Dpy phenotype as single mutants. The Sup and Dpy phenotypes are tightly linked. Both ct28 and rt31 have been mapped to the region of egl-15 on LGX. Double-mutant strains carrying one of these suppressors and tra-1(e1781) or tra-2(e1095) produce small sick males with variably abnormal male tail structures as viewed under Nomarski optics. We are studying the possible involvement in sex determination, dosage compensation, or both, of the gene or genes defined by these mutations. Screens of EMS-treated n695 worms are underway to isolate more alleles of these suppressors. So far none have been found after looking at 10,000 F1 worms.

Yarbrough PO et al. (1982) Worm Breeder's Gazette

Hecht RM, Yarbrough PO

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1982]

We are studying the developmental regulation of two isoenzymes of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G3PDH) in the small nematode, Caenorhabditis ned by starch gel electrophoresis, the embryonic specific isoenzyme, G3PDH-1, disappears during post-embryonic development. In contrast, the faster migrating isoenzyme, G3PDH-2, increases its activity during post-embryogenesis. In order to elucidate the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the temporal and/or spatial differential expression of G3PDH-1 and G3PDH-2 we have optimized the following G3PDH purification scheme. Both enzymes were purified to near homogeneity by ammonium sulfate fractionation, gel filtration and NAD-agarose affinity chromatography. Complete homogeneity as well as the separation of both isoenzymes was achieved by preparative 'chromatofocusing.' Both isoenzymes exhibited identical native and subunit molecular weights of 131,000 and 38,500, respectively. We believe that these two isoenzymes are encoded by separate genes because opposite mobilities were observed for these two isoenzymes in the related nematode, Caenorhabditis briggsae. To confirm this hypothesis, partial peptide analysis of each purified isoenzyme in Caenorhabditis conducted.

Walrond JP et al. (1977) Worm Breeder's Gazette "electrophysiology of identified neurons of Ascaris."

Walrond JP, Rass IS

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1977]

The function of the seven commissural motorneurons in the second and third segments of Ascaris des has been determined physiologically by stimulating isolated commissural fibers and recording the evoked responses in the musculature. Of the seven neurons, three are inhibitory and four are excitatory. Dorsal activation of the two type B neurons in.each segment evoke hyperpolarizing responses in the ventral muscles while ventral activation of the type A neuron evokes hyperpolarizing responses in the dorsal muscles. When stimulated ventrally, both type C neurons in each segment produce depolarizing responses in the dorsal muscles. Both type D and E neurons also depolarize the dorsal musculature. The depolarizing responses are frequently slow potentials with superimposed spikes.

Donkin SG et al. (1993) Worm Breeder's Gazette "C. elegans as a Soil Toxicity Test Organism"

Donkin SG, Dusenbery DB

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1993]

We have developed a new procedure for recovering nematodes from soils in an efficient and non-destructive manner, which has permitted the development of a short-term soil toxicity test using nematodes as toxicity indicators. The procedure involves gentle centrifugation through a colloidal silica suspension (Ludox AM or Ludox HS-40, both available from E. I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co., Wilmington, DE), which allows the soil to settle out while floating the nematodes on top of the suspension. The nematodes are recovered with great efficiency (~90%) and are unharmed by the recovery process. Short-term lethality tests (24-hour exposure) were performed with several metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in several different characterized soils, and replicable results were obtained, allowing concentration-response curves to be generated and LC(50)s to be estimated. It was found that the presence of soil generally decreased the toxicity of the metals to nematodes when compared to tests done without soil present. This is presumably due to the sorption of the metal ions to the soil particles, which lowered their availability to the nematodes. Comparison between nematode lethality results and data published for earthworms exposed to metals in soil revealed that, in most cases, the nematode is at least as sensitive as the earthworm in terms of its response to toxic metals in soil. The earthworm test, which is currently the standard animal soil toxicity test, has the disadvantage of taking two weeks to perform, while the nematode test can be done in 24 hours. Some correlations between soil or metal properties and the resulting lethal effects were obtained, while other properties showed no significant correlation with toxic effects. This suggests that, as other studies have indicated, the bioavailability of metals in soils cannot be reliably predicted by considering only a few sample conditions. Soils are complex and heterogeneous systems, and there are many physico-chemical processes that may occur within them and which may influence the resulting bioavailability of a contaminant. The C. elegans soil toxicity test may provide the means to identify some of the more important environmental characteristics that influence contaminant bioavailability.

Hoskins R et al. (1986) Worm Breeder's Gazette "a spontaneous mutation affects the genes unc-13 and unc-15."

Waterston RH, Hoskins R

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1986]

A mutant has been isolated from TR679 which moves very poorly and shows large scattered paracrystals and mild A-band disorganization under polarizing microscopy. Both phenotypes are closely linked to dpy- 5(e61)I. The mutation fails to complement unc-13(e450). It interacts with unc-15 alleles in a complex fashion suggestive of paramyosin

Mounier N et al. (1976) Worm Breeder's Gazette "Altered Gonadogenesis in Sterile Mutants of C. elegans Bergerac"

Mounier N, Brun J

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1976]

15 sterile mutants' dissected gonads, (obtained by BEGUET) were examined cytologically using the Feulgen reaction, during the whole adult period, to determine at which level the perturbation occurs. 4 classes of altered gonadogenesis were found : mutants with a completely abnormal gonad, with spermatogenesis only, with normal spermatogenesis but disturbed oogenesis, and with the both altered.

Halligan M et al. (1989) Worm Breeder's Gazette "trans-splicing from extrachromosomal arrays."

Huang X-Y, Stinchcomb DT, Halligan M, Hirsh DI

[Worm Breeder's Gazette, 1989]

We are microinjecting altered SL1 sequences into worms in order to investigate the sequences required for splicing the C. elegans spliced leader (SL1) RNA onto the 5' end of endogenous mRNAs. The 1 kilobase pair BamHI-generated fragment encoding both the SL1 and 5S RNAs was mutagenized in vitro to produce the SL1-6G7G sequence shown