Chemistry and the Worm: Caenorhabditis elegans as a Platform for Integrating Chemical and Biological Research

This Review discusses the potential usefulness of the worm Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism for chemists interested in studying living systems. C. elegans, a 1mm long roundworm, is a popular model organism in almost all areas of modern biology. The worm has several features that make it attractive for biology: it is small (<1000 cells), transparent, and genetically tractable. Despite its simplicity, the worm exhibits complex phenotypes associated with multicellularity: the worm has differentiated cells and organs, it ages and has a well-defined lifespan, and it is capable of learning and remembering. This Review argues that the balance between simplicity and complexity in the worm will make it a useful tool in determining the relationship between molecular-scale phenomena and organism-level phenomena, such as aging, behavior, cognition, and disease. Following an introduction to worm biology, the Review provides examples of current research with C. elegans that is chemically relevant. It also describes tools-biological, chemical, and physical-that are available to researchers studying the worm. What makes a living thing alive? Caenorhabditis elegans is a popular model organism for genetic research. Although the worm (see picture) is a simple organism, it still exhibits many of the complex phenomena found in higher organisms, including aging, behavior, cognition, and susceptibility to disease. This review provides an introduction to worm biology and argues that C. elegans is a useful system for the examination of complex biological phenomena from a chemical perspective. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.