As a component of membranes, lipids act as auxiliary messengers and signaling sensors and are vital to life as they play an important role in energy storage. C. elegans lipid staining contributes to researchers' understanding of lipid biology, metabolism, and related diseases. By accurately assessing the level of lipid accumulation in C. elegans can help to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate lipid metabolism. Several methods are already available to visualize and measure the amount of lipids in C. elegans. At CD BioSciences, our experienced scientists can offer you a wide range of C. elegans lipid staining services to meet each of your specific needs.

C. elegans as an Excellent Animal Model for Studying Lipid Metabolism

Lipid metabolism is a highly conserved process in eukaryotes. As researchers have become increasingly interested in the interactions between lipid metabolism and energy homeostasis, C. elegans has become a popular model system for studying lipid metabolism.

• C. elegans has a relatively short life cycle, a transparent body, a known cell lineage and a fully sequenced genome. Additionally, there are more than 300 lipid genes in C. elegans that possess human orthologues, which have been implicated in diseases unrelated to metabolic syndrome.
• In mammals, many genes associated with lipid metabolic pathways are functionally similar in C. elegans. In addition, several identified lipid regulatory pathways in C. elegans have been demonstrated in mammalian systems.
• As a model organism for research studying lipid metabolism and energy balance, many of the C. elegans lipid genes are conserved in humans and have been associated with metabolic syndrome or other diseases.

Methods for C. elegans Lipid Staining

Many fat-soluble dyes, such as BODIPY, Nile Red, and Oil Red O (ORO) can be used to determine fat storage in C. elegans. Among them, ORO is an immobilizer-based dye that has been validated as an accurate method for the assessment of major fat stores in C. elegans. In contrast, Nile Red and BODIPY can be used to detect fat storage by feeding to live worms. Among them, Nile Red and ORO are inexpensive and reliable methods for quantitative measurement of lipid levels and qualitative observation of lipid distribution among tissues, respectively. These stains allow high-throughput screening of various lipid metabolism genes and pathways, and in addition, they reduce interactions with surrounding tissues due to their hydrophobic nature.

Fig.1 Labeled imaging of fat stores using Oil Red O and Nile Red, and Nile Red staining of fixed worms and Nile Red and BODIPY-labeled fatty acids fed to live worms. (Yen K, et al., 2010)

Our Services

The abundance, size, and distribution of lipids in C. elegans can be easily assessed by staining methods. As a leading global provider of custom services, CD BioSciences offers you C. elegans lipid staining services including but not limited to:

Why Choose Us?

• Advanced technology platform and sophisticated equipment
• Experienced scientists and excellent team of experts
• Innovative products and high-quality, hassle-free, and cost-effective services
• Full range of technical tracking services
• One-stop solution
• Fast turnaround time

As a leading global provider of custom services, CD BioSciences has highly trained and experienced scientists who not only provide comprehensive, most effective C. elegans research solutions to our global clients, but also innovative products. Each of our deliverables is subjected to rigorous quality checks to ensure the reliability and accuracy of results. If you are interested in our services or have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us.

Reference

1. Yu X, Li H, Lin D, et al. Ginsenoside prolongs the lifespan of c. elegans via lipid metabolism and activating the stress response signaling pathway[J]. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2021, 22(18): 9668.