WormFarm: a quantitative control and measurement device toward automated Caenorhabditis elegans aging analysis
WormFarm: a quantitative control and measurement device toward automated Caenorhabditis elegans aging analysis
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WormFarm：一种用于自动化秀丽隐杆线虫衰老分析的定量控制和测量装置
DOI：
10.1111/acel.12063
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发表时间：
2013-06-01
期刊：
影响因子：
7.8
通讯作者：
Han, Jing-Dong J.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Xian, Bo;Shen, Jie;Han, Jing-Dong J.
秀丽线虫是研究衰老基本机制的主要模式生物。然而，由于缺乏对寿命和平均寿命进行定量分析的自动化系统，进展受到限制。为了解决这一障碍，我们开发了一种用于培养线虫的集成微流控设备--WormFarm。30-50只动物的队列在它们的整个生命周期中被维持在一个WormFarm聚二甲基硅氧烷芯片上的八个单独的房间中的每个房间里。设计特点允许自动移除后代，并有效控制环境条件。此外，我们还开发了用于视频片段自动分析的计算算法，以量化生存和其他表型，如身体大小和运动能力。作为原则的证明，我们在这里展示了WormFarm成功地概括了从RNAi介导的和饮食诱导的寿命变化的标准平板检测获得的生存数据。此外，将荧光报告与WormFarm结合使用，我们报告了在myo-3启动子的控制下，表达带有线粒体输入信号的GFP的转基因蠕虫中GFP的荧光强度随年龄的下降。因此，该标记可作为生物年龄和衰老速率的有用生物标记。
Caenorhabditis elegans is a leading model organism for studying the basic mechanisms of aging. Progress has been limited, however, by the lack of an automated system for quantitative analysis of longevity and mean lifespan. To address this barrier, we developed ‘WormFarm’, an integrated microfluidic device for culturing nematodes. Cohorts of 30–50 animals are maintained throughout their lifespan in each of eight separate chambers on a single WormFarm polydimethylsiloxane chip. Design features allow for automated removal of progeny and efficient control of environmental conditions. In addition, we have developed computational algorithms for automated analysis of video footage to quantitate survival and other phenotypes, such as body size and motility. As proof‐of‐principle, we show here that WormFarm successfully recapitulates survival data obtained from a standard plate‐based assay for both RNAi‐mediated and dietary‐induced changes in lifespan. Further, using a fluorescent reporter in conjunction with WormFarm, we report an age‐associated decrease in fluorescent intensity of GFP in transgenic worms expressing GFP tagged with a mitochondrial import signal under the control of the myo‐3 promoter. This marker may therefore serve as a useful biomarker of biological age and aging rate.