Caenorhabditis elegans and the study of gene function in parasites.
The free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a tractable experimental model system for the study of both vertebrate and invertebrate biology. Its most significant advantages are its simplicity, both in anatomy and in genomic organization, and the elaborate methods that have been developed to attribute function to previously uncharacterized genes. Importantly, > 40% of parasitic nematode genes exhibit high levels of homology to genes within the C. elegans genome. Studying such genes using the C. elegans model should yield new insights into key molecules and their possible implications in parasite survival, leading to the discovery of new drug targets and vaccine candidates.
Hashmi
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Laboratory of Molecular Parasitology, Lindsley F. Kimball Research Institute, New York Blood Center, 310 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Tawe
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Lustigman
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D000818:Animals; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D023281:Genomics; D014170:Transformation, Genetic / Q000502:physiology
D000871:Anthelmintics; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins