Assessing polyglutamine tract aggregation in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Proteome integrity is a prerequisite for cellular functionality and organismal viability. Its compromise is considered an inherent part of the aging process and has been associated with the onset of age-related, neurodegenerative pathologies. Although the molecular underpinnings of protein homeostasis (proteostasis) have been extensively studied, several aspects of its regulation remain elusive. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans has emerged as a versatile, heterologous model organism to study the dynamics of aggregation-prone human proteins in vivo. Here, we describe an experimental pipeline for the analysis of polyglutamine (polyQ) tract aggregation, as a measure of the state of proteostasis, during aging.