{"id":139172,"date":"2024-10-22T19:50:46","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T14:20:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=139172"},"modified":"2024-10-23T12:17:15","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T06:47:15","slug":"caenorhabditis-elegans-c-elegans","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/caenorhabditis-elegans-c-elegans","title":{"rendered":"Caenorhabditis Elegans"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>2024 Nobel Prize winner (Physiology or Medicine) <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Molecular biologist <\/span><b>Gary Ruvkun,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> highlighted the contributions of the <\/span><b>tiny worm <\/b><b><i>Caenorhabditis elegans<\/i><\/b><b>,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which has been central to at least four Nobel Prizes in 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6975%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 10.1506%; text-align: center;\"><b>Year<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 31.8331%; text-align: center;\"><b>Nobel Prize Winner(s)<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 57.9302%; text-align: center;\"><b>Key Contribution<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 10.1506%;\"><b>2002<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 31.8331%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sydney Brenner, H. Robert Horvitz, John E. Sulston<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 57.9302%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discovery of genetic regulation of organ development and programmed cell death (apoptosis) using <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C. elegans<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a model organism.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 10.1506%;\"><b>2006<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 31.8331%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Andrew Z. Fire, Craig C. Mello<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 57.9302%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discovery of RNA interference (RNAi), a mechanism for regulating gene expression, which has significant implications in biology and medicine.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 10.1506%;\"><b>2008<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 31.8331%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Harald zur Hausen, Fran\u00e7oise Barr\u00e9-Sinoussi, Luc Montagnier<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 57.9302%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discovery of the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in cervical cancer and the identification of HIV as the cause of AIDS.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 10.1506%;\"><b>2024<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 31.8331%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 57.9302%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation. They utilized <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C. elegans<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to understand fundamental biological processes.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\">Click to Know: <a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/nobel-prize-2024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nobel Prize 2024 Winners List<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans)<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-139142 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/228-6717ac21d77df.webp\" alt=\"Caenorhabditis Elegans\" width=\"400\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/228-6717ac21d77df.webp 742w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/228-6717ac21d77df-300x245.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Type<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It is\u00a0 Microscopic<\/span><b> nematode<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (roundworm) which Approximately 1 mm long normally lives in soil.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nematodes, also known as roundworms, are a diverse group of worms classified under the phylum Nematoda.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nematodes exist in various habitats, including soil, freshwater, marine environments, and as parasites in plants, animals, and humans.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They can be grown in a petri-dish containing E. coli in the laboratory, as their natural diet is bacteria.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Naming and Movement <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Derived from the Latin word &#8220;elegans,&#8221; referring to the graceful, sinusoidal waves it creates while moving<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Historical Significance: Dr. Sydney Brenner<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is credited with popularizing C. elegans as a research model in laboratories worldwide.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Importance of C. elegans in Research<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Research Focus<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Widely used to understand <\/span><b>neuronal and molecular biology.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Simplicity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Ideal for research due to its straightforward structure and genetic accessibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.6975%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: rgba(184, 165, 217, 0.53); text-align: left; vertical-align: middle;\">\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 16pt; color: #000000;\"><b>What are research models in laboratories?<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">A research model in a laboratory is a simplified representation of biological processes used for experimentation.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Purpose<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Helps understand complex biological systems.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Types<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Can be cellular, animal, or computer-based.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Reproducibility<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Facilitates repeatable experiments.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Validity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Provides insights applicable to larger biological contexts.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Examples<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Common models include <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C. elegans<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, mice, and yeast.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Genetic Milestones<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First multicellular organism to have its full genome sequenced<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First to have its neural wiring fully mapped<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>C. elegans as a model for mitochondrial diseases<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>C. elegans has orthologous genes to human mitochondrial disease<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> genes, making it a useful model for studying these conditions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Gene suppression in C. elegans leads to developmental defects,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> such as failure to reach maturity or death.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Partial suppression<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of specific mitochondrial genes in C. elegans paradoxically extends its lifespan.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b> elegans as a model for immunology:<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">C. elegans models the <\/span><b>innate immune response<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> using antimicrobial molecules like lectins and lysozymes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>p38 MAPK signalling is crucial for C. elegans&#8217; defence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> against Salmonella Typhimurium, with mutants showing higher susceptibility.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>C. elegans is also useful for studying bacterial behaviour<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with S. Typhimurium virulence factors like PhoP\/PhoQ being essential for infection establishment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Unique Biological Traits making it favourite subject in research<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rapid Development<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:Grows from fertilised egg to an adult in 3\u20135 days<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Compact lifecycle facilitates ease of experimentation and observation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sexes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Two distinct sexes<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Hermaphrodite<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Produces limited sperm, can reproduce by:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Self-fertilisation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cross-fertilization (via mating with a male)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Male<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Transfers sperm to hermaphrodite during mating<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Cell Count<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: It has exactly 959 cells, each named and tracked throughout its life cycle \u2014 a highly manageable number compared to human cells<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Genetic Tractability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Provides insights into fundamental biological processes due to its simple anatomy and cell lineage mapping<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"vc_table_green\"><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.043%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 130.811%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Editorials<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 80.2753%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/daily-current-affairs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Daily Current Affairs<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-textbooks?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Textbooks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC NCERT Textbooks From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 80.2753%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-modules?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Modules\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC Modules From PW Store<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books\/upsc-previous-year-papers?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+Previous+Year+Papers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out Previous Years Papers From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 80.2753%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-test-series-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UPSC Test Series 2024<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 50.5357%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/quiz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Current Affairs Quiz<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 80.2753%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily Main Answer Writing<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 130.811%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000;\" colspan=\"2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/store.pw.live\/govt-entrance-exams\/upsc-books?utm_source=SEO&#038;utm_medium=PW+Live&#038;utm_campaign=UPSC+CSE+Books\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Out UPSC CSE Books From PW Store<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2024 Nobel Prize winner (Physiology or Medicine) Molecular biologist Gary Ruvkun, highlighted the contributions of the tiny worm Caenorhabditis elegans, which has been central to at least four Nobel Prizes in 2002, 2006, 2008, and 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"paper-wise":[],"subject":[2092],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/139172"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/current-affairs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139172"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/139172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139270,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/current-affairs\/139172\/revisions\/139270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139172"},{"taxonomy":"paper-wise","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/paper-wise?post=139172"},{"taxonomy":"subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subject?post=139172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}