On-chip analysis of C. elegans muscular forces and locomotion patterns in microstructured environments

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dc.contributor.authorJohari S
dc.contributor.authorNock, Volker
dc.contributor.authorAlkaisi, Maan
dc.contributor.authorWang W
dc.date.accessioned2020-10-22T02:12:21Z
dc.date.available2020-10-22T02:12:21Z
dc.date.issued2013en
dc.date.updated2020-08-04T23:37:08Z
dc.description.abstractThe understanding of force interplays between an organism and its environment is imperative in biological processes. Noticeably scarce from the study of C. elegans locomotion is the measurement of the nematode locomotion forces together with other important locomotive metrics. To bridge the current gap, we present the investigation of C. elegans muscular forces and locomotion metrics (speed, amplitude and wavelength) in one single assay. This assay uses polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micropillars as force sensing elements and, by variation of the pillar arrangement, introduces microstructure. To show the usefulness of the assay, twelve wild-type C. elegans sample worms were tested to obtain a total of 4665 data points. The experimental results lead to several key findings. These include: (1) maximum force is exerted when the pillar is in contact with the middle part of the worm body, (2) C. elegans locomotion forces are highly dependent on the structure of the surrounding environment, (3) the worms' undulation frequency and locomotion speed increases steadily from the narrow spacing of 'honeycomb' design to the wider spacing of 'lattice' pillar arrangement, and (4) C. elegans maintained their natural sinusoidal movement in the microstructured device, despite the existence of PDMS micropillars. The assay presented here focuses on wild type C. elegans, but the method can be easily applied to its mutants and other organisms. In addition, we also show that, by inverting the measurement device, worm locomotion behaviour can be studied in various substrate environments normally unconducive to flexible pillar fabrication. The quantitative measurements demonstrated in this work further improve the understanding of C. elegans mechanosensation and locomotion. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.en
dc.identifier.citationJohari S, Nock V, Alkaisi MM, Wang W (2013). On-chip analysis of C. elegans muscular forces and locomotion patterns in microstructured environments. Lab on a Chip. 13(9). 1699-1707.en
dc.identifier.doihttp://doi.org/10.1039/C3LC41403E
dc.identifier.issn1473-0197
dc.identifier.issn1473-0189
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10092/101167
dc.languageeng
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherRoyal Society of Chemistry (RSC)en
dc.rightsAll rights reserved unless otherwise stateden
dc.rights.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10092/17651en
dc.subjectMusclesen
dc.subjectAnimalsen
dc.subjectCaenorhabditis elegansen
dc.subjectLocomotionen
dc.subjectMuscle Strengthen
dc.subjectLab-On-A-Chip Devicesen
dc.subject.anzsrcFields of Research::40 - Engineering::4007 - Control engineering, mechatronics and robotics::400704 - Biomechatronicsen
dc.subject.anzsrcFields of Research::40 - Engineering::4017 - Mechanical engineering::401705 - Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)en
dc.subject.anzsrcFields of Research::31 - Biological sciences::3109 - Zoology::310908 - Animal physiology - biophysicsen
dc.titleOn-chip analysis of C. elegans muscular forces and locomotion patterns in microstructured environmentsen
dc.typeJournal Articleen
uc.collegeFaculty of Engineering
uc.departmentElectrical and Computer Engineering
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