Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans)

Caenorhabditis elegans is a free-living, transparent nematode (roundworm) approximately 1 mm long, commonly used as a model organism in biological research due to its simple anatomy, fully mapped cell lineage, and short life cycle.[1][3][5] It features a unsegmented, vermiform body with a collagenous cuticle, muscular pharynx for feeding, pseudocoelomic cavity, and exactly 302 neurons in the hermaphrodite adult, enabling detailed studies of neural circuits, development, and behavior.[1][3] Key biological processes like cell division, apoptosis, meiosis, and dauer formation (a stress-resistant larval stage) are well-characterized, with conserved pathways such as Wnt, Notch, and insulin signaling shared with humans.[1][2][4] In disease research, C. elegans models tumor suppression via glp-1 mutants, cancer stem cell pathways, and neurodegeneration, aiding drug screening for anti-cancer and neuroprotective agents.[2][4][8] Its genetic tractability, including RNAi screening, has identified dauer-related genes with human homologs (e.g., NPR1, TSSK6) potentially linked to glioma prognosis and metabolism rewiring.[2] While not a direct therapeutic target like a receptor or enzyme, it serves as a platform for discovering human drug targets and mechanisms.[4][10]

Other names

roundwormnematode