CAS Key Laboratory for Computational Biology, CAS-Max Planck Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yueyang Road, Shanghai, 200031, China.
Aging Cell. 2013 Jun;12(3):398-409. doi: 10.1111/acel.12063. Epub 2013 Mar 27.
Caenorhabditis elegans is a leading model organism for studying the basic mechanisms of aging. Progress has been limited, however, by the lack of an automated system for quantitative analysis of longevity and mean lifespan. To address this barrier, we developed 'WormFarm', an integrated microfluidic device for culturing nematodes. Cohorts of 30-50 animals are maintained throughout their lifespan in each of eight separate chambers on a single WormFarm polydimethylsiloxane chip. Design features allow for automated removal of progeny and efficient control of environmental conditions. In addition, we have developed computational algorithms for automated analysis of video footage to quantitate survival and other phenotypes, such as body size and motility. As proof-of-principle, we show here that WormFarm successfully recapitulates survival data obtained from a standard plate-based assay for both RNAi-mediated and dietary-induced changes in lifespan. Further, using a fluorescent reporter in conjunction with WormFarm, we report an age-associated decrease in fluorescent intensity of GFP in transgenic worms expressing GFP tagged with a mitochondrial import signal under the control of the myo-3 promoter. This marker may therefore serve as a useful biomarker of biological age and aging rate.
秀丽隐杆线虫是研究衰老基本机制的主要模式生物。然而，由于缺乏定量分析寿命和平均寿命的自动化系统，研究进展受到限制。为了解决这一障碍，我们开发了“WormFarm”，这是一种用于培养线虫的集成微流控装置。在单个 WormFarm 聚二甲基硅氧烷芯片的八个独立腔室中，每 30-50 只动物的群体在其整个生命周期中都得到维持。设计特点允许自动去除后代并有效地控制环境条件。此外，我们还开发了用于自动分析视频片段的计算算法，以定量评估存活率和其他表型，如体型和运动能力。作为原理验证，我们在这里展示了 WormFarm 成功地再现了通过基于标准平板的测定法获得的 RNAi 介导和饮食诱导的寿命变化的存活率数据。此外，我们使用荧光报告基因结合 WormFarm，报告了在转基因线虫中 GFP 荧光强度的年龄相关下降，这些线虫表达了 GFP 标签，带有线粒体导入信号，受肌球蛋白-3 启动子的控制。因此，该标记物可用作生物年龄和衰老速度的有用生物标志物。
