Evaluating Motor Impairment in C. elegans Models Using the Radial Locomotion Assay

Take Petri dishes containing a uniform distribution of worm food on nematode growth media.

Flip each plate and mark the center.

Using a microscope, introduce Caenorhabditis elegans worms to the centrally-marked spot.

Then, introduce age-matched worms onto the remaining plates.

These worms express either the wild-type or mutant forms of a human RNA-binding protein, which forms toxic aggregates in the neuronal cytoplasm, and leads to neuronal death.

This reduces the worms' ability to control muscle movements, resulting in impaired motor function.

Allow the worms to crawl for a set period.

Using a microscope, mark each worm's final location.

Measure the radial distance traveled by the worms from the central spot to their final positions.

Compared to controls, worms expressing lower levels of the wild-type protein show mild motor impairment, those with higher levels of the wild-type protein show moderate impairment, and those with the mutant protein display severe impairment.

Flip the NGM assay plates upside down, and label the bottom with an identifier for the C. elegans strains to be assayed. Make a small dot with the marker in the center of the upside down plate. While working with