BACKGROUND Selenium (Se) is an important nutrient that carries out many biological processes including maintaining optimal immune function. Here, inorganic selenite (Se(IV)) was evaluated for its pathogen resistance and potential-associated factors in Caenorhabditis elegans. The immune effects of Se(IV) were investigated by examining the responses of C. elegans to Pseudomonas aerugonisa PA14 st...

Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a model organism for understanding aging and studying animal behavior. Microfluidic assay techniques have brought widespread advances in C. elegans research; however, traditional microfluidic assays such as those based on soft lithography require time-consuming design and fabrication cycles and offer limited flexibility in changing the geometric environmen...

The recent identification of Orsay virus, the first virus that is capable of naturally infecting Caenorhabditis elegans, provides a unique opportunity to explore host-virus interaction studies in this invaluable model organism. A key feature of this system is the robust genetic tractability of the host, C. elegans, which would ideally be complemented by the ability to genetically manipulate Ors...

The genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans encodes seven soluble guanylate cyclases (sGCs). In mammals, sGCs function as alpha/beta heterodimers activated by gaseous ligands binding to a haem prosthetic group. The principal activator is nitric oxide, which acts through sGCs to regulate diverse cellular events. In C. elegans the function of sGCs is mysterious: the worm genome does not app...

A cDNA corresponding to a known G protein alpha subunit, the alpha subunit of Go (Go alpha), was isolated and sequenced. The predicted amino acid sequence of C. elegans Go alpha is 80-87% identical to other Go alpha sequences. An mRNA that hybridizes to the C. elegans Go alpha cDNA can be detected on Northern blots. A C. elegans protein that crossreacts with antibovine Go alpha antibody can be ...

In certain organisms, numbers of crossover events for any single chromosome are limited ("crossover interference") so that double crossover events are obtained at much lower frequencies than would be expected from the simple product of independent single-crossover events. We present a number of observations during which we examined interference over a large region of Caenorhabditis elegans chro...

The bryozoan Cass Stenolaemata is currently represented by the Order Cyclostomata. They produce skeletons made exclusively of calcite crystals assembled into different microstructures. Despite extensive previous research, no appropriate crystallographic techniques have been applied to decipher their organization. We present an in-depth study microstructures three extant species (Fasciculipora r...

Significant non-genetic stochastic factors affect aging, causing lifespan differences among individuals, even those sharing the same genetic and environmental background. In Caenorhabditis elegans, in heat-shock response (HSR) are predictive of lifespan. However, contributing to heterogeneity HSR still not fully elucidated. Here, authors characterized dynamics isogenic C. elegans expressing GFP...