I Need Help Please :)

[msher11]

Hello, I would like to do a project involving c.elegans and apoptosis within these organisms and to see if there is a way to prevent the cell death in these organisms or regenerate cells but I just don't know where to start and what I need to get started. But, if this is not possible I would just like to do a project using c.elegans so if there are any ideas surrounding c.elegans besides apoptosis that you may have I would be interested and greatful.

Thank You

[SciB]

Hi,

C elegans, the small roundworm that is a favorite among a large group of researchers, has been used in almost every type of experiment from running mazes to prolonging life span. As long as you have the facilities to use these critters and some way to measure their responses then you can do a lot with them. We can help you with the details, but choosing and researching a subject area is up to you. Here are some sites you can check for research ideas using C elegans:

https://www.scripps.edu/grill/resources.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V48M5j-6zdE
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/search?s=roundworms
https://www.education.com/science-fair/ ... c-elegans/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3667641/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc1P7lGSzdU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAw5rjgHWc0

Once you have a better idea of what sort of question you want to ask the worm to answer, post again and we'll try to help you develop an interesting and doable project.

Good luck!

Sybee

[msher11]

Is there a way to administer and control the heat of c.elegans for heat-sensitive mutations but incubators are extremely expensive so I was wondering if there is a cheaper alternative or a less expensive incubator on the market... Or could I just use an egg incubator for chickens and regulate the temperature that would be suitable for c.elegans?

Thank You

Moderator note: I've merged this post with your previous post on the same topic. Please keep your posts together in the same thread so the expert who has been helping you can easily see that you've posted a new question. Thank you!

[SciB]

Hi Molly,

I would suggest for temperature control that you go to the pet store and check out aquarium heaters with thermostats built in. I think they are pretty good at maintaining the temperature of a tank of water, like a small aquarium, and you could have your C elegans inside a test tube that you placed in the water bath for a certain length of time.

If you plan on running several temperature you may want to get a couple of heaters because I think they are pretty slow at changing temperature, although once you get the water to the right temperature, the heater will keep it there.

Let me know if this helps. Temperature regulation is a critical part of many science experiments and you need to have a reliable method that doesn't cost a fortune. I don't know if an egg incubator would be accurate enough but you could test it with a thermometer and find out.

Good luck!

Sybee

[msher11]

Hiiii,
I am doing DAF-2 Mutations for my c.elegans but I am not exactly sure how I determine if the DAF-2 mutation actually occurred. I will be performing temperature-sensitive mutations using the aquarium heater method that you suggested and altering the temperature from 15 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius... How exactly would I determine if the c.elegans are DAF-2 mutated?

Thank You
Molly

[SciB]

Hi Molly,

I'm glad you are making progress with the C elegans thermosensitive mutation project. I had to read up on daf-2 mutations again and I found a 2016 paper that said the e1370 form of daf-2 was NOT temperature sensitive: http://wbg.wormbook.org/2016/08/11/the- ... sensitive/

Do you know what specific mutation your worms have? Blocking expression of the DAF protein allows the worms to live longer so that would be a good way to measure if the gene was indeed turned off by 20-25C. There are some other effects of mutating daf-2, but they would be a little harder to measure, with the possible exception of egg production.

I would recommend reading some more about daf-2 mutations and trying to find out exactly what the gene in your worms is and what effect increasing the water temp to 20=25C has on the worms.

Post again and I will try to help.

Sybee

[msher11]

hiii again,

I have been doing a lot of research on the DAF-2 mutation and I'm not actually sure how I am supposed to mutate the c.elegans to have this gene mutated. Or if there is a way I could find permutated Daf-2 c.elegans that would also be extremely helpful. I have to place material requests by 1/7/19 and I was wondering what materials I needed to create this mutation. How exactly would I go about trying to block expression of the DAF protein which in result allows the worms to live longer?

Thank You
Molly

[SciB]

Hi Molly,

Those are difficult questions and I don't know where you would get C elegans mutants easily. Originally I think researchers thought that the Daf-2 gene product was temperature sensitive--that raising the temperature that the worms were exposed to would alter the gene expression. But then I saw another paper that said Daf-2 was NOT temp-sensitive, so now I don't know what is correct.

It seems to be true that mutations in Daf-2 can increase the longevity of the worms, but I don't know how you would specifically mutate the Daf-2 gene. Daf-2 mutant worms are available, but I imagine they are expensive and only sold to institutions.

Here's one paper I found about C elegans and Daf mutations, but it is very technical: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1088289/

If you do some more searching online you may be able to find someone with mutant C elegans who is willing to send you some for the cost of shipping.

Sorry I don't have a better answer to your problem, but keep trying.

Sybee