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Introduction: The 97- million base genome of Caenorhabditis elegans is essentially complete. It represents the first genome of a multicellular organism to be sequenced in its entirety. C. elegans is a free-living soil nematode used widely in genetic studies. It reproduces sexually and possesses digestive, excretory and neuromuscular systems, providing a model for complex organ systems in an easily cultured organism. It is particularly well-suited for genetic studies because it is small, only 1mm in length and easy to culture, and it has a short life cycle, living only two to three weeks. It begins life as a single fertilized cell, undergoing a series of divisions as cells differentiate to form complex tissue and organ systems. It is transparent, and each of its 959 somatic cells is visible through a microscope, making it an ideal organism for developmental studies. The completion of the C. elegans genome sequence has identified nearly all of the genes in the genome (19,282 genes), but the function for most of these genes remains mysterious. A scant 6% of them have been studied with the use of classical genetic or biochemical approaches (1135 genes), and only about 53% show homology to genes in other organisms (10,303 genes). The current challenge is to develop high-throughput functional genomics procedures to study many genes in parallel in order to elucidate gene function on a global scale. In one approach, a compendium of gene expression profiles was assembled from a large number of yeast DNA microarray experiments, which made it possible to ascribe potential functions to previously unknown genes by comparing their expression results to those of genes with known functions. Here, we have established a compendium of gene expression profiles for an animal, C. elegans. Caenorhabditis elegans is a powerful model system to analyze biological processes with the use of functional genomics approaches. In addition to global expression studies, efforts are under way to determine the mutant phenotype of most C. elegans genes using RNA interference and to identify protein binding interactions on a whole genome level using a high-throughput, yeast two-hybrid approach. Thus, there is a rapid accumulation of expression data, mutant phenotypes, and protein binding interactions, making it possible to begin to elucidate cellular, developmental, and organismic processes on a global scale. What is C. elegans? C. elegans is a nematode - a member of the phylum Nematoda: Nematoda. The roundworms and threadworms, a phylum of smooth-skinned, unsegmented worms with a long cylindrical body shape tapered at the ends; includes free-living and parasitic forms both aquatic and terrestrial.
Approximate Word count = 1570
Approximate Pages = 6.3
(250 words per page double spaced)
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