Jump to content
Main menu
Main menu
move to sidebar
hide
Navigation
Main page
Recent changes
Random page
Help about MediaWiki
Special pages
Niidae Wiki
Search
Search
Appearance
Create account
Log in
Personal tools
Create account
Log in
Pages for logged out editors
learn more
Contributions
Talk
Editing
Caenorhabditis elegans
(section)
Page
Discussion
English
Read
Edit
View history
Tools
Tools
move to sidebar
hide
Actions
Read
Edit
View history
General
What links here
Related changes
Page information
Appearance
move to sidebar
hide
Warning:
You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you
log in
or
create an account
, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.
Anti-spam check. Do
not
fill this in!
=== Gut granules === [[File:Nematode Caenorhabditis Elegans (cropped).jpg|thumb|''C. elegans'' under a microscope]] Numerous gut granules are present in the intestine of ''C.{{nbsp}}elegans'', the functions of which are still not fully known, as are many other aspects of this nematode, despite the many years that it has been studied. These gut granules are found in all of the Rhabditida orders. They are very similar to [[lysosomes]] in that they feature an acidic interior and the capacity for [[endocytosis]], but they are considerably larger, reinforcing the view of their being storage organelles. A particular feature of the granules is that when they are observed under [[ultraviolet light]], they react by emitting an intense blue [[fluorescence]]. Another phenomenon seen is termed 'death fluorescence'. As the worms die, a dramatic burst of blue fluorescence is emitted. This death fluorescence typically takes place in an anterior to posterior wave that moves along the intestine, and is seen in both young and old worms, whether subjected to lethal injury or peacefully dying of old age. Many theories have been posited on the functions of the gut granules, with earlier ones being eliminated by later findings. They are thought to store zinc as one of their functions. Recent chemical analysis has identified the blue fluorescent material they contain as a [[glycosylated]] form of [[anthranilic acid]] (AA). The need for the large amounts of AA the many gut granules contain is questioned. One possibility is that the AA is antibacterial and used in defense against invading pathogens. Another possibility is that the granules provide photoprotection; the bursts of AA fluorescence entail the conversion of damaging UV light to relatively harmless visible light. This is seen as a possible link to the [[melanin]]–containing [[melanosomes]].<ref> {{cite journal | vauthors = Coburn C, Gems D | title = The mysterious case of the ''C. elegans'' gut granule: death fluorescence, anthranilic acid and the kynurenine pathway | journal = Frontiers in Genetics | volume = 4 | pages = 151 | year = 2013 | pmid = 23967012 | pmc = 3735983 | doi = 10.3389/fgene.2013.00151 | doi-access = free }}</ref>
Summary:
Please note that all contributions to Niidae Wiki may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see
Encyclopedia:Copyrights
for details).
Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!
Cancel
Editing help
(opens in new window)
Search
Search
Editing
Caenorhabditis elegans
(section)
Add topic