In 1965 Sydney Brenner chose the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as a promising model system for a concerted genetic, ultrastructural, and behavioral attack on the development and function of a simple nervous system. Since then, with the help of a growing number of investigators, knowledge about the biology of "the worm" has accumulated at a steadily accelerating pace to the extent that C. elegans is now probably the most completely understood metazoan in terms of anatomy, genetics, development, and behavior. The past few years have seen the completion of two major long-term projects that provide new insights into C. elegans development and lay important groundwork for future investigation: completion of the cell lineages of both sexes, from zygote to adult, and description of the complete anatomy at the level of electron microscope resolution, providing a complete "wiring diagram" of cell contacts in the animal. Recent years have also brought the first successes in molecularly cloning genes of developmental interest defined only by mutation, using transposon tagging as a generally applicable method for identification of the desired DNA sequences. Reintroduction of cloned DNA sequences into the genome has recently been accomplished. A physical map of the genome has been assembled with a combination of cosmid and YAC genes. This "Book of the Worm" serves as a reference source for C. elegans investigators as well as an introductory monograph for other biologists.

Defines the current status of research in the genetics, anatomy, and development of the nematode C. elegans, providing a detailed molecular explanation of how development is regulated and how the nervous system specifies varied aspects of behavior. Contains sections on the genome, development, neural networks and behavior, and life history and evolution. Appendices offer genetic nomenclature, a list of laboratory strain and allele designations, skeleton genetic maps, a list of characterized genes, a table of neurotransmitter assignments for specific neurons, and information on codon usage. Includes bandw photos. For researchers in worm studies, as well as the wider community of researchers in cell and molecular biology. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Using the most well-studied behavioral analyses of animal subjects to promote a better understanding of the effects of disease and the effects of new therapeutic treatments on human cognition, Methods of Behavior Analysis in Neuroscience provides a reference manual for molecular and cellular research scientists in both academia and the pharmaceutic

AY's Neuroanatomy of C. elegans for Computation provides the neural circuitry database of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, both in printed form and in ASCII files on 5.25-inch diskettes (for use on IBM® and compatible personal computers, Macintosh® computers, and higher level machines). Tables of connections among neuron classes, synapses among individual neurons, gap junctions among neurons, worm cells and their embryonic origin, and synthetically derived neuromuscular connections are presented together with the references from which the data were compiled and edited. Sample data files and source codes of FORTRAN and BASIC programs are provided to illustrate the use of mathematical tools for any researcher or student interested in examining a natural neural network and discovering what makes it tick.

Derived from the acclaimed online “WormAtlas,†C. elegansAtlas is a large-format, full-color atlas of the hermaphroditic form of the model organism C. elegans, known affectionately as “the worm†by workers in the field. Prepared by the editors of the WormAtlas Consortium, David H. Hall and Zeynep F. Altun, this book combines explanatory text with copious, labeled, color illustrations and electron micrographs of the major body systems of C. elegans. Also included are electron microscopy cross sections of the worm. This laboratory reference is essential for the working worm biologist, at the bench and at the microscope, and provides a superb companion to the C. elegansII monograph. It is also a valuable tool for investigators in the fields of developmental biology, neurobiology, reproductive biology, gene expression, and molecular biology.