What are some typical values for total protein content per worm? (micrograms/worm) Thank you.
I once got an empirical estimation of ~100 ng of total protein for a gravid adult worm. I did a colloidal coomassie staining (invitrogen) using E. coli total protein lysate dilutions as standard
I have made an estimate (a fairly accurate one I think) of the volume of an adult, gravid hermaphrodite to be approximately 2 nanoliters. Assuming a density equivalent to water (1 microgram per nanoliter), this would put the total mass of the worm at roughly 2 micrograms. This is probably an underestimate, as worms sink in water and therefore are clearly more dense. In any case, depending on your estimate of the percentage of worm mass that is protein (say 10-20%?), that would put the total protein mass at about 200-400 nanograms per adult worm, similar to Jano’s estimate. Just thought I’d put another calculation in there…
Thank you very much - both replies are very helpful. I was able to replicate what was in 2011, So et al. Genes to Cells 16:639, but at least for me, it was important to have about 50 worms in the lysate to get a good read using the microBCA assay kit.
-Elaine
worm density is around 1.08 (as you can test with a density gradient). Of course, the protein content can vary quite a bit depending on age and health of the worm…