Watch Mark’s Two Minute Talk on the effect of temperature on nematodes!
Graphical Abstract, Begasse et al, Cell Reports 2015
In nature, C. elegans can be found in soil and feeding on bacteria that are growing on decomposing plant material. The soil is a very complex environment with changes in oxygen concentration, food availability and temperature taking place over small distances. As cold blooded organisms, nematodes, like C. elegans cannot directly regulate their body temperature. The soil is therefore a very challenging environment for the worm to move trough, at it may be exposed to unfavourable temperatures in the search for food or optimal oxygen levels. We are interested in the effect that high and low extremes of temperature have on various aspects of nematode biology, including: cell biology, cell cycle control, development and fitness. We aim to address this question using molecular biology tools, microscopy and genetics in the model organism C. elegans and hope to extend our knowledge by studying other nematodes, namely Caenorhabditis briggsae and Pristionchus pacificus.
Current lab members working on temperature: Andrés Diaz and Mark Leaver
Associated Publications
- Leaver M, Kienle S, Begasse ML, Sommer RJ, Hyman AA. A locus in Pristionchus pacificus that is responsible for the ability to give rise to fertile offspring at higher temperatures. Biology Open 2016: doi: 10.1242/bio.018127 [FullText] Watch Mark’s video abstract for this paper!
- Begasse ML, Leaver M, Grill SW, Hyman AA. Temperature dependence of cell division timing accounts for a shift in the thermal limits of C. elegans and C. briggsae. Cell Reports. 2015; 10:1-7. [FullText] Watch Maria’s video abstract for this paper!
- Begasse ML and Hyman AA. The first cell cycle of the Caenorhabditis elegans embryo: spatial and temporal control of an asymmetric cell division. Results Probl Cell Differ. 2011;53:109-33. [PubMed]