Microscope images
Scanning electron microscope image of C. elegans mouth
This is the mouth of a C. elegans
captured with scanning electron microscopy. The magnification is 3,000X. Click to enlarge (~ 500K). Image by Jay Campbell, Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation.
Transmission electron microscope image of C. elegans embryo
This is a C. elegans embryo (surrounded by other embryos) at the 2-cell stage (the two big gray spots are its two nuclei). The magnification is about 5,000X. Click to enlarge (~ 900K). Image by Jay Campbell, Laboratory for Optical and Computational Instrumentation.
Embryonic development DIC
DIC (Differential Interference Contrast/Normaski) images of a C. elegans‘ embryonic development from the first cell division to a 2-fold stage embryo. Courtesy of the C. elegans Worm Art Show.
C. elegans and C. briggsae
C. elegans and C. briggsae. These worms are closely related, and both used for research. Image from Wormbase.
Distal Tip Cell
Distal tip cell, the lower right irregular shaped cell, is a single somatic cell located to the tip of a C. elegans gonad. As a result, a hermaphrodite has total 2 distal tip cells, one on each end of the gonad. The cells adjacent to the distal tip cell in this image are germ cells. Please see the Kimble Lab website for more information. Distal Tip Cell by David Greenstein.
C. elegans germline
Isolated C. elegans gonad with the nuclei labeled. The distal tip cell would be located to the right most of the image. From the distal tip cell end to oocytes, there are germ cells in various states of maturation. Image courtesy of the Schedl Lab.
Male tail DIC
XX masculinized C. briggsae tra-2 mutant imaged with DIC microscopy. Courtesy of Carlos Carvalho (CARVALHO LAB) from the C. elegans Worm Art Show, 2005.
Early embryo development over time
Early embryonic development (metaphase in mitosis) over time, from upper left to lower right with tubulin (microtubules) labeled, showing the elongation of the mitotic spindle prior to the first cell division. Courtesy of Ahna Skop, Skop Lab.
Spermatozoa
Matured C. elegans sperm cells (spermatozoa) by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The knobby projections to the right of the cell are called a pseudopod, which the cell uses to crawl. See also TEM (Transmission Electron Microscopy) image of C. elegans sperm cells.
Random Worm Term
and partitioning molecules to different regions of a cell, several of which are themselves partitioned, e.g. PAR-2.