Caenorhabditis elegans

• Context (IE): This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine is the fourth Nobel Prize resulting from Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) research.

Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans)

• C. elegans, commonly known as “the worm,” is widely used to study brain and cell functions.
• It is a small, transparent nematode that thrives in temperate soil environments. Its name is derived from a combination of Greek and Latin words, meaning “rod-like” and “elegant.”

Why is it important in research?

• Simpler anatomy: C. elegans lacks both respiratory and circulatory systems.
• Self-fertilisation: Being hermaphrodites, they are capable of producing both eggs and sperm.
• Manageability: With only 959 cells, it is an ideal model for studying fundamental biological processes.
• Transparency: The worm’s transparency allows scientists to track cell development under a microscope.
• Rapid Life Cycle: The worms grow quickly, reaching adulthood in 3-5 days after hatching from eggs.
• Genome Sequencing: It was the first animal to have a fully sequenced genome.

Four Nobel Prizes based on C. elegans

• 2002 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Awarded for research on how healthy cells are programmed to self-destruct, a process that malfunctions in diseases like AIDS.
• 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine: Recognised the discovery of gene silencing, which led to the development of a new class of drugs.
• 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Honored the invention of Cellular “lanterns” using C. elegans, which allowed scientists to visualise cellular processes.
• 2024 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Gary Ruvkun and Victor Ambros for their work on microRNA regulating gene expression, aided by C. elegans.