Caenorhabditis elegans as an emerging model system in environmental epigenetics

Abstract

The roundworm Caenorhabitis elegans has been an established model organism for the study of genetics and developmental biology, including studies of transcriptional regulation, since the 1970s. This model organism has continued to be used as a classical model system as the field of transcriptional regulation has expanded to include scientific advances in epigenetics and chromatin biology. In the last several decades, C. elegans has emerged as a powerful model for environmental toxicology, particularly for the study of chemical genotoxicity. Here, we outline the utility and applicability of C. elegans as a powerful model organism for mechanistic studies of environmental influences on the epigenome. Our goal in this article is to inform the field of environmental epigenetics of the strengths and limitations of the well-established C. elegans model organism as an emerging model for medium-throughput, in vivo exploration of the role of exogenous chemical stimuli in transcriptional regulation, developmental epigenetic reprogramming, and epigenetic memory and inheritance. As the field of environmental epigenetics matures, and research begins to map mechanisms underlying observed associations, new toolkits and model systems, particularly manipulable, scalable in vivo systems that accurately model human transcriptional regulatory circuits, will provide an essential experimental bridge between in vitro biochemical experiments and mammalian model systems. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 59:560-575, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Caenorhabditis elegans as a Useful Model for Studying Aging Mutations

“…C. elegans shows many desirable features for aging studies, however, it still has some limitations as a model organism compared to other mammals. Firstly, C. elegans lack certain anatomical features of mammals, including a blood transport system, a blood-brain barrier, a first-pass metabolism process in the liver, and blood filtration in the kidney, which may be specific for certain signal pathways or epigenetic effects ( 26 ). As a model system to predict human research outcomes, the lack of DNA methylation, an epigenetic tag that possibly has a greater function in mammals than in nematodes, is another limitation of C. elegans ( 27 ).…”

A parental transcriptional response to microsporidia infection induces inherited immunity in offspring

“…Studies in the genetically tractable nematode C. elegans have enabled fundamental immune advances and shed light on many epigenetically inherited and stress-induced phenotypes [7][8][9] . As such, C. elegans has recently become a powerful model for the study of inherited innate immunity 10 .…”

Epigenetics of Aging and Aging-Associated Diseases

“…While methylation-associated control of gene expression pattern is essential for mammalian development and further cellular processes, it was thought to be dispensable in several organisms such as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster [ 36 ]. Recent studies describe the methylation of exocyclic NH2 groups at the sixth position of the purine ring in adenines (6 mA) in C. elegans , which is thought to be regulated through the DNA demethylase NMAD-1 and the DNA methyltransferase DAMT1 [ 37 ].…”