Hoffman FM et al. (1992) Curr Opin Genet Dev "Learning about cancer through invertebrate genetics."

Sternberg PW, Hoffman FM, Herskowitz I

[Curr Opin Genet Dev, 1992]

Genetic studies in yeast, nematodes and Drosophila are revealing the signal transduction pathways that regulate differentiation and cell proliferation. Some of the critical molecules involved are homologous to proto-oncogenes and others are likely to be analogous to the products of tumor suppressor genes.

Liedtke, W (2005) Journal of Physiology "TRPV4 plays an evolutionary conserved role in the transduction of osmotic and mechanical stimuli in living animals."

Liedtke, W

[Journal of Physiology, 2005]

The TRPV4 ion channel, previously named vanilloid receptor-related osmotically activated channel (VR-OAC), functions in vivo in the transduction of osmotic and mechanical stimuli. In trpv4 null mice, TRPV4 was found to be necessary for the maintenance of systemic osmotic equilibrium, and for normal thresholds in response to noxious mechanical stimuli. In a Caenorhabditis elegans TRPV mutant transgenic for mammalian TRPV4, the mammalian transgene was directing the osmotic and mechanical avoidance response in the context of the ASH ''''nociceptive'''' neurone. Molecular mechanisms of gating of TRPV4 in vivo are not known at this point and have to be determined.

Coghlan A et al. (2006) Methods Mol Biol "Comparative genomics in C. elegans, C. briggsae, and other Caenorhabditis species."

Harris TW, Coghlan A, Stajich JE

[Methods Mol Biol, 2006]

The genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans was the first animal genome sequenced. Subsequent sequencing of the Caenorhabditis briggsae genome enabled a comparison of the genomes of two nematode species. In this chapter, we describe the methods that we used to compare the C. elegans genome to that of C. briggsae. We discuss how these methods could be developed to compare the C. elegans and C. briggsae genomes to those of Caenorhabditis remanei, C. n. sp. represented by strains PB2801 and CB5161, among others (1), and Caenorhabditis japonica, which are currently being sequenced.

Fulton LL et al. (1995) Methods Cell Biol "Large-scale complementary DNA sequencing methods."

Hillier L, Fulton LL, Wilson RK

[Methods Cell Biol, 1995]

Complementary DNA libraries are useful tools for uncovering genes of interest in C. elegans and finding specific homologies to genes in other organisms (Waterston et al., 1992; McCombie et al., 1992). When working with existing cDNA libraries, be sure to carefully choose which libraries would be most beneficial to the type of research being done. Some libraries may be specific for genes that are present in lower copy numbers, whereas others may be of a more general nature. It is important to fully understand the source and construction of the library you will be working with. Once an appropriate library has been chosen, work may begin to isolate a specific cDNA and sequence it completely or to survey many cDNAs by single-pass DNA sequencing. Whatever the project, it is important to develop a specific strategy for both the sequencing and the organization of the clones being characterized. The strategies and procedures we have outlined in this chapter have proven effective for rapid and comprehensive cDNA characterization.

Ban N et al. (2014) Curr Opin Struct Biol "A new system for naming ribosomal proteins."

Yusupov M, Ellis SR, Lindahl L, Beckmann R, Spahn CM, Dinman JD, Liljas A, Warren AJ, Panse VG, Tollervey D, Ortega J, Moore PB, Yonath A, Ban N, Williamson JR, Lafontaine DL, Steitz TA, Tchorzewski M, Noller HF, Ramakrishnan V, McAlear MA, Wilson D, Lipton JM, Dragon F, Cate JH

[Curr Opin Struct Biol, 2014]

A system for naming ribosomal proteins is described that the authors intend to use in the future. They urge others to adopt it. The objective is to eliminate the confusion caused by the assignment of identical names to ribosomal proteins from different species that are unrelated in structure and function. In the system proposed here, homologous ribosomal proteins are assigned the same name, regardless of species. It is designed so that new names are similar enough to old names to be easily recognized, but are written in a format that unambiguously identifies them as 'new system' names.

Blackwell TK et al. (2002) Genes Dev "Getting the right dose of repression."

Walker AK, Blackwell TK

[Genes Dev, 2002]

In recent years, it has become apparent that eukaryotic transcriptional repression mechanisms are remarkably varied in their modes of action and effects. Repression can be established by proteins that act over a short range, or at a long distance. Some mechanisms of repression are readily reversible, but others establish a heritable state of long-term silencing...

Dickson B (1998) Nature "Axon guidance: A roundabout way of avoiding the midline."

Dickson B

[Nature, 1998]

Bilaterally symmetrical animals must be able to integrate sensory inputs and coordinate motor control on both sides of the body. Thus, many neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) project their axons to the opposite side of the body, whereas others project axons that remain on the same side. In the latest issues of Cell and Neuron, the groups of Corey Goodman, Guy Tear, Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Cori Bargmann report that, from worms and flies to rats and humans, a common mechanism determines which axons cross the midline and which do not.

Zou WJ et al. (2012) Zhejiang Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban "[Molecular mechanisms of TRP channels in mechano-sensory transduction]."

Kang LJ, Zou WJ, Huang GF

[Zhejiang Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban, 2012]

Channels from the TRP superfamily have essential roles in a wide variety of sensory transductions, especially in mechano-sensation, such as hearing, touch and mechanical pain. TRP channels are also implicated in major channelopathies, including deafness, chronic pain, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) and ventricular hypertrophy. As the leading candidates for mechano-sensitive channels, some TRP channels appear to be mechano-receptor, which can be activated by mechanical forces directly, such as C. elegans TRPN homolog TRP-4; whereas others may act as signal modulators, receiving and amplifying signals indirectly. This review is to introduce the function of TRPs in mechano-sensory transduction and to discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms.

Benard C et al. (2002) Mech Ageing Dev "Long-lived mutants, the rate of aging, telomeres and the germline in Caenorhabditis elegans."

Hekimi S, Benard C

[Mech Ageing Dev, 2002]

Studying the phenomenon of aging is interesting for many reasons including because one would like to be able to extend the life span of people. However, we believe that the aging process instill so poorly understood that it remains unclear what exactly we will have to learn about it in order to understand it. Strehler, and others, have tried to ask questions about aging at several different levels at which biological systems can be studied (Strehler, 1985, 1995). Here, we will first discuss a number of nested viewpoints on aging, and then focus on some recent studies, particularly in Caenorhabditis elegans, in which several lines of investigation intersect: the study of long-lived mutants, the properties of the germline, and the biology of telomeres.

Britton C et al. (2012) Exp Parasitol "Ups and downs of RNA interference in parasitic nematodes."

Britton C, Knox DP, Samarasinghe B

[Exp Parasitol, 2012]

RNA interference (RNAi) is widely used in Caenorhabiditis elegans to identify essential gene function. In parasitic nematodes RNAi has been reported to result in transcript knockdown of some target genes, but not others, thus limiting its use as a potential functional genomics tool. We recently extended work in Haemonchus contortus to examine why only some genes seem to be susceptible to RNAi and to test RNAi effects in vivo. Here we review our findings, which suggest that site of gene expression influences silencing. This most likely reflects limited uptake of dsRNA from the environment, a phenomenon also observed in other free-living nematodes. We discuss new technologies to improve dsRNA delivery, such as nanoparticles being developed for therapeutic siRNA delivery, and methods to monitor RNAi effects. Alternative approaches will be important in progressing the application of RNAi to identify essential gene function in parasitic nematodes.