title: Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy for the analysis of the biochemical composition of C. elegans worms.
abstract: Changes in intermediary metabolism have profound effects on many aspects of C. elegans biology including growth, development and behavior. However, many traditional biochemical techniques for analyzing chemical composition require relatively large amounts of starting material precluding the analysis of mutants that cannot be grown in large amounts as homozygotes. Here we describe a technique for detecting changes in the chemical compositions of C. elegans worms by Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy. We demonstrate that the technique can be used to detect changes in the relative levels of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids in one and the same worm. We suggest that Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy represents a useful addition to the arsenal of techniques for metabolic studies of C. elegans worms.
authors.affiliation: Umeå Center for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University , Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Umeå University , Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: András
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gorzsás
authors.affiliation: Umeå Center for Molecular Medicine, Umeå University , Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tuck
keywords: C. elegans; Fourier transform infrared; carbohydrate; composition; lipid; microspectroscopy; protein