Strategies for automated analysis of C. elegans locomotion

Abstract

Automated analysis of C. elegans behaviour is a rapidly developing field, offering the possibility of behaviour-based, high-throughput drug screens and systematic phenotyping. Standard methods for parameterizing worm shapes and movements are emerging, and progress has been made towards overcoming the difficulties introduced by interactions between worms, as well as worm coiling and omega turning. Current methods have facilitated the identification of subtle phenotypes and the characterisation of roles of neurones in forward locomotion and chemotaxis, as well as the quantitative characterisation of behaviour choice and circadian patterns of activity. Given the speed with which C. elegans has been deployed in genetic screens and chemical screens, it is to be hoped that wormtrackers may eventually provide similar rapidity in assaying behavioural phenotypes. However, considerable progress must be made before this can be accomplished. In the case of genome-wide RNAi screens, for example, the presence in the worm genome of some 19,000 genes means that even the minimal user intervention in an automatic phenotyping system will be very costly. Nonetheless, recent advances have shown that drug actions on large numbers of worms can be tracked, raising hopes that high-throughput behavioural screens may soon be available.

How do the macrocyclic lactones kill filarial nematode larvae?

“…Motility is often used as a read-out of nematode health and of the effect of anthelmintics, whether via direct observation or by one of many systems which aim to automate, at least partially, its measurement (Storey et al 2014; Marcellino et al 2012; Smout et al 2010; Buckingham et al 2014; Buckingham and Sattelle 2008, 2009; Calahorro et al 2015). Motility has the obvious advantage as a measurement of nematode health that it is quick and easy to obtain quantitative data and to generate dose-response curves.…”

Timing of Locomotor Activity Circadian Rhythms in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…The finding of a robust circadian behavior in C. elegans , which could be recorded automatically [6], [16], would contribute a powerful tool for the study of the biological clock in this model, as well as a screening procedure for the elucidation of its molecular basis. The aim of this study is to fully characterize the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity in adult C. elegans , including free-running and entrained conditions, as well as a means for genetic screening in this nematode.…”

AutoEPG: Software for the Analysis of Electrical Activity in the Microcircuit Underpinning Feeding Behaviour of Caenorhabditis elegans

“…A major caveat of this is that subtle phenotypes, which are difficult to detect/measure by observation are potentially missed. Over recent years the behavioural analysis of C. elegans has become increasingly refined with the introduction of automated computer systems [2]. In general automated systems serve three main purposes, i) they reduce the time it would take to conduct the experiment by direct observation ii) they standardize behavioural features to allow consistent analysis and iii) they enable features of behaviour to be rigorously quantified from individuals or large populations for the identification of subtle phenotypes.…”