the story behind the worm...
the C.elegans Genome Project


c+e=C.elegans Almost ten years in the making, the Caenorhabditis elegans Genome Project became the first major attempt to sequence an entire multi-cellular organism. That was four years ago, in 1998. With a predicted 18,967 genes in total, not to mention a majority of non-coding sequences, this was obviously no small task (Jiang et al., 2001). At nearly 97megabases, some people wondered if such a task could feasibly be completed and even if it could - what would be its use (Chalfie, 1998)?. Today we know that this once-thought suprahuman project has spurred a vast amount of new research, ranging from work with other nematodes to the inspiration of the recently completed Human Genome Project (Chalfie, 1998). It has also stimulated the creation and development of invaluable new software and databases such as ACeDB (a C.elegans database), GENEFINDER, and the Stanford Microarray Database as well as others (Chalfie, 1998).

   Thanks to John Sulston and Alan Coulson who began constructing a physical map of the worm genome in 1983, followed by the Genome Project along with Bob Waterson and associates in 1989, science as a whole has seen many advancements due to this remarkable feat (Chalfie, 1998).

One of the most important aspects of the worm genome is that it contains so many similarities to other organisms, such that any findings associated with it can often be predicted within other animals. This is particularly important with respect to human research. Now that the human genome is complete, we can search for the numerous gene homologues associated with the worm and investigate their properties. As is discussed on this website, one broad field of study which has benefited tremendously from this is that of human development and disease.

Currently, thousands of scientists are involved with research of this nature as it is of obvious urgency to our species well being. Some of the main subtopics of research within this field focus on:
aging, development, DNA damage response, host-pathogen interactions, and reproduction as these are very related to our well being. While development is the related process through which all organisms come to fruition, its sheer complexity allows much room for mishaps and folly. When these mistakes become essentially irreparable by the organism alone, they lead to so-called diseased states - often ending in ultimate demise. Thus, our understanding of the "correct" as well as "altered" pathways in a simple organism such as the worm, will ultimately lead us to a clearer understanding of our own similar processes - and will therefore lead to a greater well being.


references
1. Chalfie, M. 1998. The worm revealed. Nature 396:620-621.
2. Jiang, M., Jubin, R., Kiraly, M., Duke, K., Reinke, V., and Kim, S.K. 2001. Genome-wide analysis of developmental and sex-regulated gene expression profiles in Caenorhabditis elegans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United States of America 98(1):218-223.