title: A C. elegans mutant screen based on antibody or histochemical staining.
abstract: A method has been developed for isolating mutations in Caenorhabditis elegans that alter antibody or histochemical staining patterns. The basis for this method is a new procedure for making C. elegans permeable that does not kill the eggs contained within the uterus of gravid adult hermaphrodites. A mutagenized population of gravid hermaphrodites is made permeable and then stained with either an antibody or a histochemical stain. Animals that stain aberrantly are picked to individual petri plates and the eggs within the uterus of the stained mother hatch and establish a new genetic line. Antibody and histochemical stains are especially useful phenotypes because the staining pattern will usually directly reflect the gene expression pattern of the gene that codes for the antigen or enzyme. This method was used to isolate mutants that alter the expression of a mec-7lacZ fusion gene. Transgenic animals that contained the mec-7lacZ gene integrated into chromosome I were treated with the mutagen ethylmethanesulfonate, allowed to self-fertilize for two generations and then stained with X-gal or antibodies against beta-galactosidase. Gravid animals that stained abnormally were picked to fresh petri plates and their offspring were used to establish new mutant lines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Louisiana State University Medical Center, Shreveport 71130-3932, USA.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Aamodt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004396:Coloring Agents; D004950:Esterases / Q000235:genetics; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D015870:Gene Expression; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D007763:Lac Operon; D009154:Mutation
chemical_list: D004396:Coloring Agents; D004950:Esterases