Caenorhabditis elegans body mechanics are regulated by body wall muscle tone.

ABSTRACT: Body mechanics in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are central to both mechanosensation and locomotion. Previous work revealed that the mechanics of the outer shell, rather than internal hydrostatic pressure, dominates stiffness. This shell is comprised of the cuticle and the body wall muscles, either of which could contribute to the body mechanics. Here, we tested the hypothesis that the muscles are an important contributor by modulating muscle tone using optogenetic and pharmacological tools, and measuring animal stiffness using piezoresistive microcantilevers. As a proxy for muscle tone, we measured changes in animal length under the same treatments. We found that treatments that induce muscle contraction generally resulted in body shortening and stiffening. Conversely, methods to re

SUBMITTER: Petzold BC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3077690 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature