C Elegans Fat Mass
C Elegans Fat Mass - Related Videos
16:07
Biochemical and High Throughput Microscopic Assessment of Fat Mass in Caenorhabditis Elegans
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Cited by 74 •
2013
We present robust biochemical and microscopic methods for studying Caenorhabditis elegans lipid stores. A rapid, simple, fixing-staining procedure for fluorescent lipid droplet imaging leverages the spectral properties of the lipophilic dye Nile red. We then present biochemical measurement of triglycerides and phospholipids using solid phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.
11:34
Basic Caenorhabditis elegans Methods: Synchronization and Observation
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Cited by 452 •
2012
The easiness of maintaining and propagating the nematode C. elegans make it a nice model organism to work with. The possibility of synchronizing worms allows the work with a significant amount of subjects at the same developmental stage, what facilitates the study of one particular process in many animals.
10:54
C. elegans Maintenance
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2023
Ceanorhabditis elegans has been, and is still, used to great success as a model organism for studying a variety of developmental, genetic, molecular and even physical phenomena. In order to use C. elegans to its full potential, proper care and attention to the basic maintenance of this powerful organism is essential. In this video you will learn the basic housing and feeding requirements of C. elegans, how to correctly handle and manipulate worms using a worm pick and how to freeze and recover...
09:51
RNAi in C. elegans
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2023
RNA interference (RNAi) is a widely used technique in which double stranded RNA is exogenously introduced into an organism, causing knockdown of a target gene. In the nematode, C. elegans, RNAi is particularly easy and effective because it can be delivered simply by feeding the worms bacteria that express double stranded RNA (dsRNA) that is complementary to a gene of interest. First, this video will introduce the concept of RNA interference and explain how it causes targeted gene knockdown.
09:13
An Introduction to Caenorhabditis elegans
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2023
Caenorhabditis elegans is a microscopic, soil-dwelling roundworm that has been powerfully used as a model organism since the early 1970’s. It was initially proposed as a model for developmental biology because of its invariant body plan, ease of genetic manipulation and low cost of maintenance. Since then C. elegans has rapidly grown in popularity and is now utilized in numerous research endeavors, from studying the forces at work during locomotion to studies of neural circuitry. This video...
FAQs
Feeding status changes whether stored triglycerides are accumulated or used, while insulin/IGF-1 signaling helps regulate that balance. These controls affect lipid synthesis, mobilization, and energy use rather than simply changing a static lipid pool. Measuring resulting shifts can therefore reveal how signaling pathways influence metabolic state and energy homeostasis.
Lipid droplets provide intracellular sites for triglyceride storage in intestinal and other cells. Their abundance and distribution reflect how the animal manages available energy across tissues. When researchers examine these features, they can distinguish changes in where neutral lipids are stored from broader changes in total fat mass, adding cellular context to metabolic measurements.
Two animals can show similar overall lipid levels while distributing those reserves differently among intestinal and other cells. Examining distribution may therefore identify tissue-specific changes in storage or mobilization that a single aggregate measurement could miss. This distinction is useful when connecting altered fat patterns with signaling, energy balance, aging, or stress responses.
Researchers can assess fat mass with fluorescent lipid dyes, microscopy, or biochemical assays. Fluorescent labeling combined with microscopy supports visualization of neutral lipids and their cellular distribution, whereas biochemical assays provide a measurement of lipid content. Using these approaches allows investigators to compare both the amount and location of stored fat under different experimental conditions.
Changes in the readout can support studies of metabolism, aging, and stress responses, as well as investigations of genes associated with obesity and metabolic disease. Researchers can compare lipid storage across genetic or physiological conditions to identify regulators of energy homeostasis and determine whether those regulators alter synthesis, mobilization, or use of stored energy.
Its short life cycle and well-characterized genetics make it practical for examining how genes affect lipid storage over biological time. Investigators can connect genetic differences with measurable changes in fat mass and related metabolic states. This model consequently helps identify conserved regulators that may inform broader studies of energy homeostasis and metabolic disease.