Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans
Caenorhabditis elegans (pronunciation: /ˌsiːnoʊræbˈdaɪtɪs ˈɛləɡænz/) is a free-living, transparent nematode, about 1 mm in length, that lives in temperate soil environments.
Etymology
The name "Caenorhabditis" derives from the Greek words "kaeno" (recent), "rhabditis" (rod-like) and "elegans" which means elegant.
Description
The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has a simple anatomy, with about 1,000 cells, and a short lifecycle of 2-3 weeks. It is used extensively as a model organism in genetics and developmental biology.
Genetics
The Caenorhabditis elegans genome was the first multicellular organism's genome to be sequenced entirely. The genome contains approximately 20,000 protein-coding genes. The study of Caenorhabditis elegans has led to new insights in several fields, including apoptosis, or programmed cell death, and RNA interference (RNAi).
Developmental Biology
In developmental biology, Caenorhabditis elegans is a valuable model because it is transparent and its entire cell lineage has been traced. This allows researchers to study the development of an organism from a single cell to an adult.
Related Terms
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Caenorhabditis elegans
- Wikipedia's article - Caenorhabditis elegans
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