Science & Mathematics
April 2022
Nematodes as Model Organisms
by Itamar Glazer, David I Shapiro-llan, Paul W. Sternberg
Nematodes, which are small multi cellular organisms have been used as biological models since the 1960's. The nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans is a free-living nematode, about 1mm in length, that lives in temperate soil environments. It is made up of about 1000 cells, and has a short life cycle of only 2 weeks. It was the first multicellular organism to have its whole genome sequenced. The book includes chapters that summarize the importance of nematodes as model organisms in the fields of genetics, developmental biology, neurobiology, pharmacology, nutrition, ecology and parasitology. Of interest to a broad audience across a wide spectrum of disciplines, the book is useful for biologists working on comparative studies to investigate biological processes across organisms; medical scientists and pharmacologist for exploration of drugs and medicine (including the use of genome editing to eliminate diseases); ecologists considering nematodes as indicators for environment changes; and parasitologists for host-parasite interactions. Many other researchers can use this book as a benchmark for the broad implications of nematology research on other aspects of science.
