Caenorhabditis elegans: a new model organism for studies of axon regeneration

Abstract

Axonal regeneration in Caenorhabditis elegans was first reported five years ago. Individual green fluorescent protein-labeled axons can be severed using laser microsurgery and their regrowth followed in vivo. Several neuron types display robust regrowth after injury, including motor and sensory neurons. The small size and transparency of C. elegans make possible large-scale genetic and pharmacological screens for regeneration phenotypes.

Figure 1. Axotomy and regrowth of PLM mechanosensory neuron

Diagram of the PLM mechanosensory neuron showing position of laser axotomy relative to the synaptic branch and cell body. Lower panels, confocal projection of PLM regrowth 24 h post axotomy, showing a growth cone at the tip of the regrowing axon (enlarged in left panel) and the distal fragment of the axon. Different focal planes in the z axis are color coded from surface (blue) to deep (red). Transgenic marker, Pmec-4-GFP (zdIs5). Scale, 10 µm.