Caenorhabditis elegans (worm)

In this video, we show a method of producing a developmentally synchronized population of sterile adult C. elegans. The example protocol synchronizes worms to study oxygen consumption rates in live animals.

This video describes a technique to rapidly screen a single nematode for a genetic marker by PCR screening. In the example protocol, we screen for CRISPR-based genome editing.

This video describes a traditional, plate-based method of measuring the lifespan of C. elegans. The example protocol measures the lifespan of worms treated with RNAi.

C. elegans egg-laying behavior can provide important information in developmental, reproductive, and anatomical studies.  This video introduces the important steps of an egg laying assay and shows a sample experiment in which a drug is tested for reproductive toxicity.

This video describes microinjection, a common method of creating transgenic C. elegans strains. In the example, we will see microinjection used to introduce a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex for CRISPR-bases gene editing.

This video describes freeze-cracking, a method to make C. elegans tissues accessible for antibody staining by disrupting the cuticle.

During live imaging of C. elegans, an agarose pad can be used to hold the nematode still without damaging or drying it.  This video describes how to prepare a simple mounting pad for microscopy.

This video introduces the concepts behind calcium imaging and includes an example protocol for time-lapse imaging of worms contained in molded agarose wells.

Here, we introduce an assay to measure SWIP, a behavioral phenotype of C. elegans that occurs during vigorous motion like swimming.  The example protocol discusses both manual and automated analysis approaches.

This video introduces the touch habituation assay, a C. elegans behavioral method of assessing mechanosensation and quantifying time to habituation.

This video introduces chemotaxis in the nematode C. elegans and shows a sample protocol testing chemotactic aversion to copper sulfate.

Researchers can trigger on-demand movement in C. elegans by applying an electric field that worms sense and respond to. This video introduces electrotactic behavior and shows a sample protocol that is done in a microfluidic device.

This video describes the use of video and tracking software to record worm movement in an arena.  The example protocol measures the effect of ethanol exposure on worm locomotion.

This video describes a method to dissect gonads from adult C. elegans hermaphrodites, resulting in tissues that are suitable for immunostaining and fluorescent imaging.

This video introduces a short-term survival assay that tests a treatment for acute toxicity or tests a genetic strain for resistance to a toxic condition.  The example protocol shows an example survival assay in which worms are tested for their ability to  resist oxidative stress induced by paraquat (PQ).

C. elegans have two types of muscles, single sarcomere and multiple sarcomere, or striated muscles.  This video describes the arrangement of the striated body wall muscles, which are responsible for a worm’s locomotion and includes a sample protocol to measure muscle morphology using image analysis software.

This video introduces a method of laser wounding, which is used to cause very precise injuries in the worm epidermis.  The sample protocol is from a study of wound response and repair.

This video introduces a method of to visualize and measure the integrity of the C. elegans intestine lumen by feeding worms FITC-labeled dextran. The example protocol shows the assay done with 3,3’-diindolylmethane (DIM)-treated and pathogen-fed worms.

This video describes a protocol to stain lipids in whole, fixed worms using Nile Red dye.  To specifically view the neutral lipids in the core of lipid droplets, image the green emission spectra of the stained C. elegans.

This video describes a method to dissociate whole worms into a single-cell suspension suitable for FACS or immunoprecipitation of intact cells.

Here, we describe a technique used to visualize genomic DNA in fixed, intact nematodes. The video includes an example protocol to count chromatin in unfertilized C. elegans oocytes.

This video introduces a method of isolating C. elegans blastomeres from early embryos. The resulting cells are suitable for cell culture or ex vivo experiments.

This video introduces a method to isolate and sterilely culture embryonic C. elegans cells in vitro.

This video describes the principles behind RNAi treatment in C. elegans and demonstrates a protocol to knockdown lin-35 in a transgenic worm strain.

RNAi is powerful genetic tool available to C. elegans researchers. This video introduces a method to treat more worms with RNAi than plate feeding by utilizing liquid culture conditions.

Nematodes can be propagated easily in the lab--in part because hermaphrodites can reproduce by self-fertilization.  However, genetic crosses and other experiments may require a large number of males.  This video describes a method to enrich for male C. elegans.

Microinjection of transgenes usually results in C. elegans strains with large extrachromosomal arrays, which result in variable expression and transmission of the transgene. UV Irradiation can induce chromosomal integration of the array and more stable transgene transmission.