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Caenorhabditis elegans: nature and nurture gift to nematode parasitologists

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 December 2017

Gustavo Salinas  and
Gastón Risi
Gustavo Salinas*
Affiliation:
Worm Biology Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Mataojo 2020, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay Departamento de Biociencias, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Avda. gral Flores 2124, Montevideo 11300, Uruguay
Gastón Risi
Affiliation:
Worm Biology Laboratory, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Mataojo 2020, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay Departamento de Biociencias, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Avda. gral Flores 2124, Montevideo 11300, Uruguay
*
Author for correspondence: Gustavo Salinas, E-mail: gsalin@fq.edu.uy
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Abstract

The free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is the simplest animal model organism to work with. Substantial knowledge and tools have accumulated over 50 years of C. elegans research. The use of C. elegans relating to parasitic nematodes from a basic biology standpoint or an applied perspective has increased in recent years. The wealth of information gained on the model organism, the use of the powerful approaches and technologies that have advanced C. elegans research to parasitic nematodes and the enormous success of the omics fields have contributed to bridge the divide between C. elegans and parasite nematode researchers. We review key fields, such as genomics, drug discovery and genetics, where C. elegans and nematode parasite research have convened. We advocate the use of C. elegans as a model to study helminth metabolism, a neglected area ready to advance. How emerging technologies being used in C. elegans can pave the way for parasitic nematode research is discussed.

Keywords

Caenorhabditis elegansdrug discoverygeneticsgenomicshelminthmetabolismnematodeva
Type
Review Article
Information
Parasitology , Volume 145 , Issue 8 , July 2018 , pp. 979 - 987
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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