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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Using Caenorhabditis elegans for Studying Trans- and Multi-Generational Effects of Toxicants
Published on: July 29, 2019
Matricidal hatching can induce multi-generational effects in nematode Caenorhabditis elegans after dietary exposure
Shin Woong Kim1, Jongmin Moon1, Youn-Joo An2
1Department of Environmental Health Science, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, 05029, South Korea.
Abstract:
In this study, we investigated multi-generational effects and generation particle transfer in Caenorhabditis elegans following maternal food exposure to core-shell quantum dots. We found that that the Bag of Worms (BOW) phenotype in aged worms induces changes in quantum dot distribution in the parental body, which is related to the inter-generation transfer of these nanoparticles and to their effects in the offspring. To confirm these results we examined a variety of endpoints, namely, survival, reproduction, aging phenotype, oxidative stress, and intestinal fat metabolism. We show that worms born to parents at different times after exposure show different phenotypic effects as a consequence of quantum dot transfer. This evidence of trans-generational transfer and the effects of nanoparticles highlights the complex multi-generational effects and potential safety hazards that can occur under real environmental conditions.
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