Abstract
ObjectiveParafilm M® is a moisture-resistant thermoplastic commonly used to seal Nematode Growth Media (NGM) agar plates on which the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is cultured. This practice reduces media dehydration and microbial contamination. However, the effects on C. elegans individuals of placing this barrier between the external environment and the interior of the NGM plate are currently unknown. Our research aims to determine if this common practice engenders developmental changes, such as growth, that could subsequently and unintentionally alter experimental data. We compared the larval growth over 48 h of animals cultured on Parafilm-wrapped and unwrapped control NGM plates.ResultsWrapping culture plates with Parafilm significantly accelerated and increased larval growth, with a 0.87 μm/h increase in growth rate (~ 6%) and a 37.90 μm increase in the change in growth (Δgrowth; ~ 5%) over 48 h. Therefore, C. elegans investigators should be aware that wrapping their experimental cultures with Parafilm may result in statistically detectable changes in worm growth and possibly other developmental processes.
Highlights
Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans), a microscopic and self-fertilizing hermaphroditic nematode, is an exceedingly well-established model organism [1]
This study aimed to determine if C. elegans larval growth is affected by wrapping Nematode Growth Media (NGM) culture plates
We found that larval change in length (Δgrowth) and growth rate (Table 1) were significantly greater in worms on Parafilm-wrapped cultures than worms in control cultures
Summary
Median larval length (Fig. 2) at each time point appeared similar with small differences between the Parafilm and control groups. Over the 48 h period, worms in cultures wrapped with Parafilm showed significantly greater Δgrowth (Mann–Whitney U test, W = 472, p = 0.001) and a significantly faster growth rate (Mann– Whitney U test, W = 479, p = 0.002) than worms in the control group (Table 1). Cohen’s d indicated a moderate impact of Parafilm wrapping on the Δgrowth and growth rate of C. elegans over 48 h (Cohen’s d = 0.75 and d = 0.74 respectively)
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