Questions

Model Organism: Worms Scientific Discussion
1

Hey everyone,
Science Fair is less than a week away and I’ve just finished up my project. I appreciate all the help you’ve given. I have a few more questions though, and I had trouble finding the answers online:

  1. Do any pathogenic bacteria (to C. elegans) attack the dopamine neurons of the nematodes?
  2. Can fluorescence vary by size? What about from worm to worm?
  3. Should the fluorescence appear in the gut area, and if so, why?
  4. In one study I can across, the authors said they used BZ555 egls[Pdat-1::GFP]. What does “egls[Pdat-1::GFP]” mean?

Thanks!

2

  1. I’m not certain - perhaps someone else on the forum can weigh in.

  2. I’m assuming you are talking about a transgene. Fluorescence does vary by size and from worm to worm. Integrated arrays are more consistent in expression across a population of worms than are extrachromosomal arrays.

  3. The gut does autofluoresce.

  4. egIs is an integrated transgene array expressing GFP under the dat-1 promoter:

http://www.wormbase.org/db/gene/transgene?name=egIs1;class=Transgene

The nomenclature guide is here:

http://www.wormbase.org/wiki/index.php/UserGuide:Nomenclature#Transgenes