The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorants
A simple, affordable diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is urgently needed to improve detection of active Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Recently, it has been suggested that animal behavior can be used as a biosensor to signal the presence of human disease. For example, the giant African p...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2016-08-01
|
| Series: | Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405579416300079 |
| _version_ | 1819011659702730752 |
|---|---|
| author | Mário F. Neto Quan H. Nguyen Joseph Marsili Sally M. McFall Cindy Voisine |
| author_facet | Mário F. Neto Quan H. Nguyen Joseph Marsili Sally M. McFall Cindy Voisine |
| author_sort | Mário F. Neto |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A simple, affordable diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is urgently needed to improve detection of active Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Recently, it has been suggested that animal behavior can be used as a biosensor to signal the presence of human disease. For example, the giant African pouched rats can detect tuberculosis by sniffing sputum specimens while trained honeybees respond to three of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected in the breath of TB positive patients by proboscis extension. However, both rats and honeybees require animal housing facilities and professional trainers, which are outside the scope of most disease testing facilities. Here, we report that the innate olfactory behavioral response of the roundworm nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can be used to detect the TB-specific VOCs methyl p-anisate, methyl nicotinate, methyl phenylacetate and o-phenylanisole, in chemotaxis assays. Dauer larvae, a long-lived stress resistant alternative development state of C. elegans in which the animals can survive for extended periods of time in dry conditions with no food, were also demonstrated to detect the VOCs. We propose that exposing naive dauer larvae to TB-related VOCs and recording their response in this behavioral assay could lead to the development of a new method for TB diagnostics using breath as the sample type. Keywords: Tuberculosis, Caenorhabditis elegans, Chemotaxis, Volatile organic compounds, Diagnostics, Odorants |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T01:31:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6dcb53632a294f7fbfb14ac82ba98541 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-5794 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T01:31:41Z |
| publishDate | 2016-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases |
| spelling | doaj.art-6dcb53632a294f7fbfb14ac82ba985412022-12-21T19:20:22ZengElsevierJournal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases2405-57942016-08-0144449The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorantsMário F. Neto0Quan H. Nguyen1Joseph Marsili2Sally M. McFall3Cindy Voisine4Center for Innovation in Global Health Technologies (CIGHT), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USADepartment of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL 60625, USADepartment of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL 60625, USACenter for Innovation in Global Health Technologies (CIGHT), Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USADepartment of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL 60625, USA; Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 773 442 5745.A simple, affordable diagnostic test for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is urgently needed to improve detection of active Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Recently, it has been suggested that animal behavior can be used as a biosensor to signal the presence of human disease. For example, the giant African pouched rats can detect tuberculosis by sniffing sputum specimens while trained honeybees respond to three of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detected in the breath of TB positive patients by proboscis extension. However, both rats and honeybees require animal housing facilities and professional trainers, which are outside the scope of most disease testing facilities. Here, we report that the innate olfactory behavioral response of the roundworm nematode Caenorhabditis elegans can be used to detect the TB-specific VOCs methyl p-anisate, methyl nicotinate, methyl phenylacetate and o-phenylanisole, in chemotaxis assays. Dauer larvae, a long-lived stress resistant alternative development state of C. elegans in which the animals can survive for extended periods of time in dry conditions with no food, were also demonstrated to detect the VOCs. We propose that exposing naive dauer larvae to TB-related VOCs and recording their response in this behavioral assay could lead to the development of a new method for TB diagnostics using breath as the sample type. Keywords: Tuberculosis, Caenorhabditis elegans, Chemotaxis, Volatile organic compounds, Diagnostics, Odorantshttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405579416300079 |
| spellingShingle | Mário F. Neto Quan H. Nguyen Joseph Marsili Sally M. McFall Cindy Voisine The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorants Journal of Clinical Tuberculosis and Other Mycobacterial Diseases |
| title | The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorants |
| title_full | The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorants |
| title_fullStr | The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorants |
| title_full_unstemmed | The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorants |
| title_short | The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis-specific odorants |
| title_sort | nematode caenorhabditis elegans displays a chemotaxis behavior to tuberculosis specific odorants |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405579416300079 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariofneto thenematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT quanhnguyen thenematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT josephmarsili thenematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT sallymmcfall thenematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT cindyvoisine thenematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT mariofneto nematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT quanhnguyen nematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT josephmarsili nematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT sallymmcfall nematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants AT cindyvoisine nematodecaenorhabditiselegansdisplaysachemotaxisbehaviortotuberculosisspecificodorants |