Szewczyk Nathaniel J, Kozak Elena, Conley Catharine A
Space Life Research, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA.
BMC Biotechnol. 2003 Oct 27;3:19. doi: 10.1186/1472-6750-3-19.
C. elegans has been established as a powerful genetic system. Use of a chemically defined medium (C. elegans Maintenance Medium (CeMM)) now allows standardization and systematic manipulation of the nutrients that animals receive. Liquid cultivation allows automated culturing and experimentation and should be of use in large-scale growth and screening of animals.
We find that CeMM is versatile and culturing is simple. CeMM can be used in a solid or liquid state, it can be stored unused for at least a year, unattended actively growing cultures may be maintained longer than with standard techniques, and standard C. elegans protocols work well with animals grown in defined medium. We also find that there are caveats to using defined medium. Animals in defined medium grow more slowly than on standard medium, appear to display adaptation to the defined medium, and display altered growth rates as they change the composition of the defined medium.
As was suggested with the introduction of C. elegans as a potential genetic system, use of defined medium with C. elegans should prove a powerful tool.
秀丽隐杆线虫已成为一个强大的遗传系统。使用化学成分明确的培养基（秀丽隐杆线虫维持培养基（CeMM））现在可以实现动物所获营养物质的标准化和系统性调控。液体培养允许自动化培养和实验，并且应该可用于动物的大规模生长和筛选。
我们发现CeMM用途广泛且培养简单。CeMM可以以固态或液态使用，可以未开封保存至少一年，无人照管的活跃生长培养物可以比使用标准技术维持更长时间，并且标准的秀丽隐杆线虫实验方案适用于在化学成分明确的培养基中生长的动物。我们还发现使用化学成分明确的培养基存在一些注意事项。在化学成分明确的培养基中的动物比在标准培养基上生长得更慢，似乎表现出对化学成分明确的培养基的适应性，并且随着它们改变化学成分明确的培养基的组成，生长速率会发生变化。
正如在将秀丽隐杆线虫引入作为潜在遗传系统时所建议的那样，使用化学成分明确的培养基培养秀丽隐杆线虫应该会被证明是一个强大的工具。
