A microfluidic device and automatic counting system for the study of C. elegans reproductive aging

Area of Science:

• Developmental Biology
• Aging Research
• Genetics

Background:

• Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) is a key model organism for studying aging due to its short lifespan and conserved longevity pathways.
• Reproductive aging in C. elegans involves a cessation of egg-laying in mid-adulthood, with wild-type hermaphrodites producing 200-300 eggs.
• Conventional methods for progeny counting are often labor-intensive and lack high temporal resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel microfluidic assay for real-time, automated progeny counting in individual C. elegans hermaphrodites.
• To create a system capable of high-throughput analysis of reproductive output and its correlation with aging.
• To provide a powerful tool for detailed investigation of C. elegans reproduction and longevity.

Main Methods:

• A microfluidic device with 16 individual chambers was designed for simultaneous monitoring of multiple worms.
• A continuous flow of non-proliferating bacteria serves as food and flushes newly hatched progeny.
• A filtration system separates mothers from offspring, and a novel algorithm detects and records progeny counts in real-time.

Main Results:

• The system successfully recorded real-time progeny production data from individual C. elegans.
• Examples demonstrated data acquisition from both wild-type (N2) and daf-2 mutant strains.
• The assay provides high time-resolution information on reproductive output.

Conclusions:

• The developed microfluidic system offers significant advantages over traditional plate assays for C. elegans progeny counting.
• This automated system is a powerful tool for high-resolution studies of reproductive aging and longevity in C. elegans.
• It has the potential to advance research into the genetic and molecular mechanisms regulating lifespan and reproduction.