Allyl isothiocyanate that induces GST and UGT expression confers oxidative stress resistance on C. elegans, as demonstrated by nematode biosensor.

Background: Electrophilic xenobiotics and endogenous products from oxidative stresses induce the glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), which form a large family within the phase II enzymes over both animal and plant kingdoms. The GSTs thus induced in turn detoxify these external as well as internal stresses. Because these stresses are often linked to ageing and damage to health, the induction of phase II enzymes without causing adverse effects would be beneficial in slowing down ageing and keeping healthy conditions.

A rapid and inexpensive method to screen for common foods that reduce the action of acrylamide, a harmful substance in food.

By DNA microarray and protein 2-DE screens for Caenorhabditis elegans genes up-regulated by acrylamide, we selected the gst-4 gene and constructed a gst::gfp fusion gene, which was used to transform C. elegans into a biosensor for acrylamide. This biosensor detects acrylamide as a GFP-expression signal in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

Acrylamide-responsive genes in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

As acrylamide is a known neurotoxin for many animals and potential carcinogen for humans, it came as a surprise when the Swedish National Food Agency and Stockholm University reported in 2002 that it is formed during the frying or baking of foods. We report here genomic and proteomic analyses on genes and proteins of Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to 500 mg/l acrylamide. Of the 21,120 genes profiled, 409 genes were more than twofold upregulated and 111 genes were downregulated.

Extremely low dose of acrylamide decreases lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans.

The neurotoxic, genotoxic and carcinogenic effects of industrial exposure to acrylamide have been studied in animals and humans for more than 30 years. A recent search for the cause of high background levels of acrylamide in industrially unexposed people revealed that it is formed during the frying or baking of foods by means of the Maillard reaction. To evaluate the biological consequences of continuous exposure to acrylamide at levels found in common foodstuffs, we studied the effects of acrylamide on the three parameters of (1) growth, (2) fecundity and (3) lifespan in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

Early embryogenesis of the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus.

The early embryogenesis and cell lineage of the pinewood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus was followed from a single-cell zygote to a 46-cell embryo under Nomarski optics, and elongation of the microtubules was studied by immunostaining. As a B. xylophilus oocyte matures, it passes through a passage connecting the oviduct with the quadricolumella, the distal part of the uterus, and reaches the quadricolumella where it stays for a few minutes and is fertilized.