C. elegans: A biosensor for host-microbe interactions
File(s)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Backes, Cassandra
Martinez-Martinez, Daniel
Cabreiro, Filipe
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Microbes are an integral part of life on this planet. Microbes and their hosts influence each other in an endless dance that shapes how the meta-organism interacts with its environment. Although great advances have been made in microbiome research over the past 20 years, the mechanisms by which both hosts and their microbes interact with each other and the environment are still not well understood. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has been widely used as a model organism to study a remarkable number of human-like processes. Recent evidence shows that the worm is a powerful tool to investigate in fine detail the complexity that exists in microbe–host interactions. By combining the large array of genetic tools available for both organisms together with deep phenotyping approaches, it has been possible to uncover key effectors in the complex relationship between microbes and their hosts. In this perspective, we survey the literature for insightful discoveries in the microbiome field using the worm as a model. We discuss the latest conceptual and technological advances in the field and highlight the strengths that make C. elegans a valuable biosensor tool for the study of microbe–host interactions.
Date Issued
2021-05-01
Date Acceptance
2021-01-27
Citation
Lab Animal, 2021, 50, pp.127-135
ISSN
1548-4475
Publisher
Nature Research
Start Page
127
End Page
135
Journal / Book Title
Lab Animal
Volume
50
Copyright Statement
© 2021, Springer Nature America, Inc.
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000623782900001&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Veterinary Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2021-03-01