Automated Acquisition of C. elegans Survival Curves with a Flatbed Scanner

使用平板扫描仪自动采集线虫生存曲线

• 批准号: 7677405
• 负责人: WALTER FONTANA
• 金额: $ 6.95万
• 依托单位: HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2010-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7677405
• 关键词: Age; Aging; Aging-Related Process; Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans; Cessation of life; Chemicals; Computer software; Computer-Assisted Image Analysis; Disease; Environment; Event; Genes; Genetic; Genotype; Hour; Image; Image Analysis; Individual; Lead; Longevity; Manuals; Methods; Modification; Molecular; Motion; Movement; Mutation; Nature; Nematoda; Organism; Pathway interactions; Platinum; Population; Posture; Procedures; Process; Proxy; RNA Interference; Resolution; Speed; System; Time; Validation; image processing; knock-down; mutant; public health relevance; repaired; response; tool

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Reactive chemicals and molecular processes occurring in living systems lead to the accumulation of informational and physical damage despite repair mechanisms. This wear-and-tear results in a growing likelihood of disease and death with time, referred to as aging. The random nature of damaging events contributes to the phenotypic divergence of individuals, even when they are genetically identical and share the same environment. This divergence results in a distribution of life spans that is reflective of the genotype. The complete survival curve of a population of isogenic individuals is therefore a powerful tool for classifying genes with regard to their impact on aging. The proposal aims at developing an automated, inexpensive, and robust system for obtaining high-resolution survival curves of the nematode C. elegans. The proposal will achieve this objective by adapting commercial flatbed scanners for long-term imaging of large worm populations and developing appropriate image processing software. Validation of the new method will occur by comparison with traditional manual procedures on four widely studied lifespan- extension mutants. The method's suitability for RNA interference studies will be assessed using similar comparisons. Such an automated system will have broad impact on the study of aging by revealing subtle genetic and environmental effects on survival that advance our understanding of major aging processes. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The survival curve of genetically identical individuals is a powerful tool in the study of aging. An automated, inexpensive, and robust system for obtaining high-resolution survival curves of large worm (C. elegans) populations will have broad impact on the study of aging by revealing subtle genetic and environmental effects on survival that advance our understanding of major aging pathways conserved across species.

描述（由申请人提供）：尽管有修复机制，但生命系统中发生的反应性化学物质和分子过程会导致信息和物理损伤的积累。随着时间的推移，这种磨损导致疾病和死亡的可能性越来越大，称为衰老。破坏性事件的随机性导致了个体的表型差异，即使它们在遗传上是相同的，并且共享相同的环境。这种差异导致了反映基因型的寿命分布。因此，同基因个体群体的完整生存曲线是根据基因对衰老的影响对基因进行分类的有力工具。该提案旨在开发一种自动化的，廉价的，和强大的系统，用于获得高分辨率的线虫C。优雅的该提案将通过调整商用平板扫描仪对大规模蠕虫种群进行长期成像和开发适当的图像处理软件来实现这一目标。新方法的验证将通过与四种广泛研究的寿命延长突变体的传统手动程序进行比较来进行。将使用类似比较评估该方法对RNA干扰研究的适用性。这样一个自动化系统将对衰老的研究产生广泛的影响，它揭示了遗传和环境对生存的微妙影响，促进了我们对主要衰老过程的理解。公共卫生相关性：基因相同个体的生存曲线是研究衰老的有力工具。一个自动化的，廉价的，强大的系统，用于获得高分辨率的大型蠕虫（C。elegans）种群将对衰老的研究产生广泛的影响，揭示微妙的遗传和环境对生存的影响，促进我们对物种间保守的主要衰老途径的理解。