Team:Queens-Canada/About C. elegans
From 2010.igem.org
About C. Elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans is a nematode usually found in temperate soil. It is transparent and approximately 1 mm in length. C. elegans has been used as a model organism since 1974. Its genomic sequencing was completed in 2002; C. elegans is the first multicellular organism to have its genome completely sequenced. The C. elegans genome is approximately 100 million base pairs in length and contains around 20,100 genesCite:.
Why C. Elegans?
- C. elegans is eukaryotic.
- C. elegans is a multicellular organism, with different tissues that can be modified separately.
Links & Additional Resources
- WormBook is a great functional overview of worm physiology, with an emphasis on development.
- WormAtlas is a great anatomical overview.
- The Worm Breeder's Gazette is a informal, non-refereed, biannual newsletter dedicated to C. elegans and other nematodes.
- GFPWorm has visual information on C. elegans expression patterns.