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Interdiscip Top Gerontol,
2015]
This chapter will introduce a few additional network concepts, and then it will focus on the application of the material in the previous chapter to the study of systems biology of aging. In particular, we will examine how the material can be used to study aging networks in two sample species: Caenorhabditis elegans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
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Journal of Gerontology,
1988]
Genetic approaches have been used to gain insights into many complex biological phenomena, but until recently most attempts to use genetic approaches to understand aging or senescence processes in metazoans have met with little success. The first review in this series (Martin and Tucker, 1988) surveyed model organisms used in the genetic analysis of aging; here I will review the analysis of life span and of the aging process by means of genetics. Problems inherent in the genetic analysis of aging will be reviewed first. Successful applications of genetics to the phenomena of aging will next be highlighted. Finally, I will present examples of ways in which both molecular and classical genetic approaches can be fruitfully and realistically applied to the study of the aging processes. Where applicable, misinterpretations and possible future directions will be noted.
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Semin Cell Dev Biol,
2016]
Rhomboid proteins have emerged as one of the most tantalizing and diverse families of proteases. Gene duplication events and structural alterations have sculpted the varied roles of this protein family, maintaining a conserved structural core throughout the bacterial, plant and animal kingdoms [1,2]. Unresolved questions pop up at many junctions. This review will focus on a distinct class of Rhomboid proteins that plays an essential role in development. It will outline the diverse mechanisms by which these proteins are regulated, and the implications on the biological processes they control. While most of the review will deal with Rhomboids in Drosophila, a system that has been studied in the greatest detail, it will also explore parallels and differences in the function of Rhomboids in the flour beetle T. casteneum and the worm C. elegans.
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Exp Gerontol,
2006]
This article discusses the pros and cons of using RNAi screening to identify longevity genes in Caenorhabditis elegans. The discussion will focus on the results of two large-scale longevity RNAi screens that were recently published. The two screens revealed largely non-overlapping sets of candidate longevity genes. The possible reasons for such differences and their implications will be discussed.
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Genome Res,
1996]
If world oil prices dropped to zero next year, how would it change the world economy? Investments in oil field exploration would lose their value overnight, whereas shares in a factory making environmentally friendly combustion engines might go up. Everybody would feel the need to plan ahead, and many plans would change. In genetics and molecular biology, DNA sequences are the fuel of research, and their prices are falling dramatically. Within 5 years many complete genomes will be sequenced, and sequence data will be like tap water in Amsterdam-essential for life, but too cheap to measure. A project that was perfectly rational 2 years ago will be a total waste of time tomorrow, and projects that seemed impossible will become feasible. The aim of this review is to explore the consequences for biology of the wealth of DNA sequence data now becoming available. Several bacterial genomes have been sequenced already (Fleischmann et al. 1995; Fraser et al. 1995). The first animal to feel these changes will be the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and the worm" will be the focus of this review. The virtues of C. elegans as a model system in biology have recently been sung elsewhere (Hodgkin et al. 1995). In brief, it does everything that makes life interesting (eating, copulating, getting around, and relating to the environment) and manages to do so with only 959 cells, of which 302 form the brain. However, it is likely that much of what is said will apply equally to other species; thus, I hope that the review may also be of some interest outside of the C. elegans community.
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Science,
1998]
Caenorhabditis elegans is a rhabditid nematode. What relevance does this have for the interpretation of the complete genome sequence, and how will it affect the exploitation of the sequence for scientific and social ends? Nematodes are only distantly related to humans and other animal groups; will this limit the universality of the C. elegans story? Many nematodes are parasites; can knowledge of the C. elegans sequence aid in the prevention and treatment of disease?
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Front Physiol,
2023]
Glucosylceramides (GlcCer) are lipids that impact signaling pathways, serve as critical components of cellular membranes, and act as precursors for hundreds of other complex glycolipid species. Abnormal GlcCer metabolism is linked to many diseases, including cancers, diabetes, Gaucher disease, neurological disorders, and skin disorders. A key hurdle to fully understanding the role of GlcCer in disease is the development of methods to accurately detect and quantify these lipid species in a model organism. This will allow for the dissection of the role of this pool <i>in vivo</i> with a focus on all the individual types of GlcCer. In this review, we will discuss the analysis of the GlcCer population specifically in the nematode <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>, focusing on the mass spectrometry-based methods available for GlcCer quantification. We will also consider the combination of these approaches with genetic interrogation of GlcCer metabolic genes to define the biological role of these unique lipids. Furthermore, we will explore the implications and obstacles for future research.
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Exp Gerontol,
2013]
This communication will briefly review more than 30 years of research on aging using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans ("The Worm") as carried out in the labs of Tom Johnson. We will highlight research directions initiated in the 1980's, which were exciting for those of us trying to turn over a new leaf in aging research. In this narrative, I will discuss primarily the science that I and my lab have been involved with for the last 30 years. This area has been fascinating to those studying the sociology of science as modern aging research has moved to replace the simplistic, poorly controlled and outright fictitious approaches seen in much of the previous aging research.
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J Microbiol,
2020]
Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of hospital- and community-acquired infections. Despite current advances in antimicrobial chemotherapy, the infections caused by S. aureus remain challenging due to their ability to readily develop resistance. Indeed, antibiotic resistance, exemplified by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is a top threat to global health security. Furthermore, the current rate of antibiotic discovery is much slower than the rate of antibiotic-resistance development. It seems evident that the conventional in vitro bacterial growth-based screening strategies can no longer effectively supply new antibiotics at the rate needed to combat bacterial antibiotic-resistance. To overcome this antibiotic resistance crisis, screening assays based on host-pathogen interactions have been developed. In particular, the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been used for drug screening against MRSA. In this review, we will discuss the general principles of the C. elegans-based screening platform and will highlight its unique strengths by comparing it with conventional antibiotic screening platforms. We will outline major hits from high-throughput screens of more than 100,000 small molecules using the C. elegans-MRSA infection assay and will review the mode-of-action of the identified hit compounds. Lastly, we will discuss the potential of a C. elegans-based screening strategy as a paradigm shift screening platform.
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Genome Biol,
2003]
The publication of the draft genome sequence of Caenorhabditis briggsae improves the annotation of the genome of its close relative Caenorhabditis elegans and will facilitate comparative genomics and the study of the evolutionary changes during development.