Using the Worm, Caenorhabditis elegans, in Undergraduate Genetics and Developmental Biology Laboratories

 

Tested Studies in Laboratory Teaching, 2005, Volume 26

Jennifer Knight

Abstract

C. elegans is easy to use, transparent, reproduces quickly, and has a cloned genome. All of these factors make it an ideal system for use in introductory, genetics or developmental biology labs. This lab familiarizes students with the life cycle, development, terminology, and common mutant phenotypes of C. elegans. It also introduces the use of GFP transgenic worms to visualize specific cell types in the worm. A detailed sample experiment is included that takes students through using genetic crosses and GFP transgenic strains to figure out the cause of a mutant phenotype.

Keywords:  Caenorhabditis elegans, genetic crosses, GFP transgenics

Bowling Green State University, Ohio (2004)