Visualization of lipid droplets in C. elegans by light and electron microscopy

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry and molecular biology
• Genetics and model organisms
• Cell biology and microscopy

Background:

• Caenorhabditis elegans is a valuable model organism for studying conserved fat storage mechanisms.
• Emerging biochemical assays and genetic tools enhance its utility for lipid metabolism research.
• In vivo visualization of lipid droplets at single-cell resolution provides unique insights.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe transgenic technologies for expressing fluorescent lipid droplet markers in Caenorhabditis elegans.
• To detail methods for visualizing these markers using confocal microscopy.
• To present additional techniques for lipid droplet visualization and associated protein detection.

Main Methods:

• Development of transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans strains expressing fluorescent lipid droplet markers.
• Application of sensitive confocal microscopy for in vivo imaging.
• Utilization of transmission electron microscopy for ultrastructural lipid droplet visualization.
• Immunoelectron microscopy for detecting lipid droplet-associated proteins.

Main Results:

• Successful expression of fluorescent lipid droplet markers at near-physiological levels.
• High-resolution imaging of lipid droplets in live Caenorhabditis elegans.
• Detailed protocols for advanced microscopy techniques applied to lipid droplet research.

Conclusions:

• Caenorhabditis elegans provides a robust system for investigating cellular fat storage.
• Transgenic technologies and advanced microscopy enable detailed in vivo studies of lipid droplets.
• These methods facilitate the elucidation of conserved mechanisms in lipid metabolism.