Worm Laboratory

Did you know:

• C. elegans were proposed as a model organism by Sydney Brenner in 1965

• C. elegans were the first multi-cellular organism to have their entire genome sequenced!

• About 50-60% of the known human "disease" genes have a homologue in the worm.

• The cultivation cycle of the worm is 3 days (from egg to adult).

• The worm has two sexes, hermaphrodite and male.

• Although worms don't have a brain, they have a collection of neurons near the head called the nerve ring, which integrates sensory information to process motor function. They also use the same neurotransmitters, including acetylcholine, glutamate, GABA, serotonin and dopamine.

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There are 6 Nobel Laureates whose work use C. elegans:
    Dr. Sydney Brenner - 2002 Prize in Physiology or Medicine (genetic studies)
    Dr. John Sulston - 2002 Prize in Physiology or Medicine (cell lineage studies)
    Dr. Robert Horvitz  - 2002 Prize in Physiology or Medicine (programmed cell death)
    Dr. Andrew Fire - 2006 Prize in Physiology or Medicine (RNAi discoveries)
    Dr. Craig Mello - 2006 Prize in Physiology or Medicine (RNAi discoveries)
    Dr. Martin Chalfie - 2008 Prize in Chemistry (Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) studies)

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Dr. Cori Bargmann also won the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences, which was awarded to only 11 scientists.

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