title: An open-source analytical platform for analysis of C. elegans swimming-induced paralysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The nematode Caenhorhabditis elegans offers great power for the identification and characterization of genes that regulate behavior. In support of this effort, analytical methods are required that provide dimensional analyses of subcomponents of behavior. Previously, we demonstrated that loss of the presynaptic dopamine (DA) transporter, dat-1, evokes DA-dependent Swimming-Induced Paralysis (Swip) (Mcdonald et al., 2007), a behavior compatible with forward genetic screens (Hardaway et al., 2012).
  
  
  METHODS
  Here, we detail the development and implementation of SwimR, a set of tools that provide for an automated, kinetic analysis of C. elegans Swip. SwimR relies on open source programs that can be freely implemented and modified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We show that SwimR can display time-dependent alterations of swimming behavior induced by drug-treatment, illustrating this capacity with the dat-1 blocker and tricyclic antidepressant imipramine (IMI). We demonstrate the capacity of SwimR to extract multiple kinetic parameters that are impractical to obtain in manual assays.
  
  
  METHODS
  Standard measurements of C. elegans swimming utilizes manual assessments of the number of animals exhibiting swimming versus paralysis. Our approach deconstructs the time course and rates of movement in an automated fashion, offering a significant increase in the information that can be obtained from swimming behavior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The SwimR platform is a powerful tool for the deconstruction of worm thrashing behavior in the context of both genetic and pharmacological manipulations that can be used to segregate pathways that underlie nematode swimming mechanics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: J Andrew
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hardaway
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Whitaker
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nackenoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: Chelsea L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Snarrenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: Shannon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hardie
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Informatics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232-8548, USA. Electronic address: randy.blakely@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Randy D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Blakely
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D030801:Animals, Genetically Modified; D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D007099:Imipramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010243:Paralysis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics; D013550:Swimming
chemical_list: D000929:Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; C532156:DAT-1 protein, C elegans; C494134:DOP-3 protein, C elegans; D050483:Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; C088760:cat-2 protein, C elegans; D006899:Mixed Function Oxygenases; D007099:Imipramine
keywords: C. elegans; Dopamine; Imipramine; Paralysis; Swimming; Transporter