<i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a Convenient Animal Model for Microbiome Studies

oleh: Cheng-Yeu Wu, Scott Davis, Neekita Saudagar, Shrey Shah, William Zhao, Arnold Stern, Jan Martel, David Ojcius, Hung-Chi Yang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2024-06-01

Deskripsi

Microbes constitute the most prevalent life form on Earth, yet their remarkable diversity remains mostly unrecognized. Microbial diversity in vertebrate models presents a significant challenge for investigating host–microbiome interactions. The model organism <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> has many advantages for delineating the effects of host genetics on microbial composition. In the wild, the <i>C. elegans</i> gut contains various microbial species, while in the laboratory it is usually a host for a single bacterial species. There is a potential host–microbe interaction between microbial metabolites, drugs, and <i>C. elegans</i> phenotypes. This mini-review aims to summarize the current understanding regarding the microbiome in <i>C. elegans</i>. Examples using <i>C. elegans</i> to study host–microbe–metabolite interactions are discussed.