C. elegans Cultivation
Life Cycle
The life cycle of the worm is about 3 days.
Feeding
In the lab, Escherichia coli (E. coli) strain
OP50 is its favorite food. Watch a worm eat!
Housing
Petri plate (~ 35 * 10 mm) filled with NGM (Nematode Growth Medium) is used to culture the worm.
Covered petri dish with NGM and a lawn of E. coli in the centerClick for bigger images | ||
 Lid half-covered |  Lid opened | |
Growing Temperature
C. elegans‘ growth rate differs under different temperatures. Development from embryo to adult takes about 2.5 days at 25 °C , and 6 days at 15 °C.
Temperature (°C) | Molts (hours after hatch) | First eggs laid (hours after hatch) | ||||
L2-L3 | L3-L4 | L4-adult | ||||
16 | 29 | 24 | 39 | 54.5 | 74.5 | 94-97 |
20 | 18 | 15 | 24 | 34 | 46 | 59-60 |
25 | 14 | 11.5 | 18.5 | 26 | 35.5 | 45-46 |
Source: Caenorhabditis elegans: Modern Biological Analysis of an Organism (p.9) | ||||||
Observation
A binocular dissecting microscope will do. Most work can be done at 25X magnification.
Dissecting microscope
Picking & Transferring
To pick and transfer worm for manipulation, a platinum wire is used. An eyelash will also do!
Platinum wire: Click to see scale
Sexes
Size of plate (with food) | Number of males | Number of hermaphrodites |
9 cm | 10 -15 | ~ 6 |
5 cm | ~ 6 | 3-4 |
Source: Caenorhabditis elegans: Modern Biological Analysis of an Organism (p.12) | ||
Long-term Storage
C. elegans can be stored indefinitely at very low temperature (-70 ~ 100 °C freezer). In the dauer stage, it can also be kept at 16 °C for months.