Abstract
The surface adhesion between C. elegans and the agar plates on which they are commonly grown has yet to be accurately quantified. C. elegans are a scientifically important species of nematode whose simple structure allowed the first mapping of the complete nervous system in a multicellular organism. One of the current topics of research in the C. elegans community is the investigation of neuronal function in locomotion. Locomotion models derived from mathematical analysis of nematode motion and surface interaction are frequently employed to investigate the influence of neuronal function in locomotion. Surface interactions, such as adhesion energy, play a critical role in the development of these models, but measurements of these parameters have not yet been performed. This paper presents the measurement of surface adhesion energy of nematodes on agar surfaces using a direct pull-off experiment. Adhesion energy was found to be W = 4.94 ± 1.19 mJ/m2 for the wild type.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
White JG, Southgate E, Thomson JN, Brenner S (1986) The structure of the nervous system of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. R Soc Lond Philos Trans 314:1–340
Brenner S (1974) The genetics of Caenorhabditis elegans. Genetics 77:71–94
Berri S, Boyle JH, Tassieri M, Hope IA, Cohen N (2009) Forward locomotion of the nematode C. elegans is achieved through the modulation of a single gait. HSFP J 3:186–193
Sauvage P, Argentina M, Drappier J, Senden T, Siméon J, Di Meglio JM (2011) An elasto-hydrodynamical model of friction for the locomotion of Caenorhabditis elegans. J Biomech 44:1117–1122
Shen XN, Sznitman J, Krajacic P, Lamitina T, Arratia PE (2012) Undulatory locomotion of Caenorhabditis elegans on wet surfaces. Biophys J 102:2772–2781
Wen Q, Po MD, Hulme E, Chen S, Liu X, Kwok SW, Gershow M, Leifer AM, Butler V, Fang-Yen C, Kawano T, Schafer WR, Whitesides G, Wyart M, Chklovskii DB, Zhen M, Samuel ADT (2012) Proprioceptive coupling within motor neurons drives C. elegans forward locomotion. Neuron 76:750–761
Stiernagle, T. Maintenance of C. elegans (2006) WormBook, ed. The C. elegans Research Community
Keller MW, Sottos NR (2006) Mechanical properties of microcapsules used in a self-healing polymer. Exp Mech 46:725–733
Chaudhury MK, Weaver T, Hui CY, Kramer EJ (1996) Adhesive contact of cylindrical lens and a flat sheet. J Appl Phys 80:30–37
Normand V, Lootens DL, Amici E, Plucknett KP, Aymard P (2000) New insight into agarose gel mechanical properties. Biomacromolecules 1:730–738
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2015 The Society for Experimental Mechanics, Inc.
About this paper
Cite this paper
Keller, M.W., Adams, K.A., Mailler, R. (2015). Pull-Off Adhesion Measurements on C. Elegans . In: Barthelat, F., Korach, C., Zavattieri, P., Prorok, B., Grande-Allen, K. (eds) Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials, Volume 7. Conference Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Mechanics Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06974-6_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06974-6_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-06973-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-06974-6
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)