Knowra Caenorhabditis elegans Caenorhabditis elegans Caenorhabditis elegans is a small, transparent, free-living nematode used widely in biology. Its short life cycle and mapped cell lineage make it a model for studying development, genes, and aging.
Cell lineage : The sequence of ancestor–descendant relationships among cells as an organism develops. Its invariant lineage made this worm a landmark system for tracing every cell's developmental history.
Nematoda : A phylum of elongated, unsegmented worms with a complete digestive tract and a protective cuticle. This species belongs to the nematode phylum, whose basic body plan it exemplifies.
Sydney Brenner : A molecular biologist whose work helped establish modern genetics and molecular biology. Brenner introduced C. elegans as a system for studying development and the nervous system.
Drosophila melanogaster : The fruit fly is an insect widely used to study genetics, development, and behavior. Like the worm, it supports powerful genetics, but has a more complex body plan and nervous system.
Programmed cell death : A regulated process by which cells undergo orderly self-destruction. Studies of its development revealed genes that control a genetically programmed set of cell deaths.
Cuticle (invertebrate) : A nonliving external layer secreted by an invertebrate's epidermis. Its collagen-rich cuticle protects the worm and must be shed as it grows.
John Sulston : A British biologist who mapped cell division and programmed cell death in C. elegans. His lineage studies documented the worm's reproducible pattern of cell development.
Mus musculus : The house mouse is a mammal used extensively in biomedical research. Mice model mammalian physiology more directly, while worms are simpler, faster, and less costly to study.
RNA interference : A gene-silencing process in which small RNAs guide the suppression of complementary RNA molecules. Feeding worms double-stranded RNA provides a simple way to silence genes and test their functions.
Ecdysis : The shedding of an external cuticle or exoskeleton to permit growth or life-stage change. The worm molts four times, coordinating cuticle replacement with transitions between larval stages.
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