Running worms: C. elegans self-sorting by electrotaxis.
The nematode C. elegans displays complex dynamical behaviors that are commonly used to identify relevant phenotypes. Although its maintenance is straightforward, sorting large populations of worms when looking for a behavioral phenotype is difficult, time consuming and hardly quantitative when done...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2011-02-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/21326598/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1818694318097956864 |
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| author | Xavier Manière Félix Lebois Ivan Matic Benoit Ladoux Jean-Marc Di Meglio Pascal Hersen |
| author_facet | Xavier Manière Félix Lebois Ivan Matic Benoit Ladoux Jean-Marc Di Meglio Pascal Hersen |
| author_sort | Xavier Manière |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The nematode C. elegans displays complex dynamical behaviors that are commonly used to identify relevant phenotypes. Although its maintenance is straightforward, sorting large populations of worms when looking for a behavioral phenotype is difficult, time consuming and hardly quantitative when done manually. Interestingly, when submitted to a moderate electric field, worms move steadily along straight trajectories. Here, we report an inexpensive method to measure worms crawling velocities and sort them within a few minutes by taking advantage of their electrotactic skills. This method allows to quantitatively measure the effect of mutations and aging on worm's crawling velocity. We also show that worms with different locomotory phenotypes can be spatially sorted, fast worms traveling away from slow ones. Group of nematodes with comparable locomotory fitness could then be isolated for further analysis. C. elegans is a growing model for neurodegenerative diseases and using electrotaxis for self-sorting can improve the high-throughput search of therapeutic bio-molecules. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:27:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-31ce581c898b4910823407221ed77496 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T13:27:40Z |
| publishDate | 2011-02-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-31ce581c898b4910823407221ed774962022-12-21T21:46:41ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032011-02-0162e1663710.1371/journal.pone.0016637Running worms: C. elegans self-sorting by electrotaxis.Xavier ManièreFélix LeboisIvan MaticBenoit LadouxJean-Marc Di MeglioPascal HersenThe nematode C. elegans displays complex dynamical behaviors that are commonly used to identify relevant phenotypes. Although its maintenance is straightforward, sorting large populations of worms when looking for a behavioral phenotype is difficult, time consuming and hardly quantitative when done manually. Interestingly, when submitted to a moderate electric field, worms move steadily along straight trajectories. Here, we report an inexpensive method to measure worms crawling velocities and sort them within a few minutes by taking advantage of their electrotactic skills. This method allows to quantitatively measure the effect of mutations and aging on worm's crawling velocity. We also show that worms with different locomotory phenotypes can be spatially sorted, fast worms traveling away from slow ones. Group of nematodes with comparable locomotory fitness could then be isolated for further analysis. C. elegans is a growing model for neurodegenerative diseases and using electrotaxis for self-sorting can improve the high-throughput search of therapeutic bio-molecules.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/21326598/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Xavier Manière Félix Lebois Ivan Matic Benoit Ladoux Jean-Marc Di Meglio Pascal Hersen Running worms: C. elegans self-sorting by electrotaxis. PLoS ONE |
| title | Running worms: C. elegans self-sorting by electrotaxis. |
| title_full | Running worms: C. elegans self-sorting by electrotaxis. |
| title_fullStr | Running worms: C. elegans self-sorting by electrotaxis. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Running worms: C. elegans self-sorting by electrotaxis. |
| title_short | Running worms: C. elegans self-sorting by electrotaxis. |
| title_sort | running worms c elegans self sorting by electrotaxis |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/21326598/?tool=EBI |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xaviermaniere runningwormscelegansselfsortingbyelectrotaxis AT felixlebois runningwormscelegansselfsortingbyelectrotaxis AT ivanmatic runningwormscelegansselfsortingbyelectrotaxis AT benoitladoux runningwormscelegansselfsortingbyelectrotaxis AT jeanmarcdimeglio runningwormscelegansselfsortingbyelectrotaxis AT pascalhersen runningwormscelegansselfsortingbyelectrotaxis |