Effect of Colchicine and

Cytocalasin D on the
Chemotaxis of
Caenorhabditis elegans
Towards Diacetyl
Skye Miller & Annie Berns
  Actin
 Protrusive and contractile forces
 Microtubules
Introduction  Organelle and protein movement
 Contribution unclear – evidence suggests significant role
 Research by Sandrine – protrusion
 Roles in migration overlap
 Cytochalasin D – inhibits actin polymerization
 Colchicine – disrupts microtubule polymerization

(Chalfie, Thomson 1982), (Schliwa, 1982), (Slobodnick, Shah, Pillinger, & Krasnokutsky, 2015)
  Cytochalasin D will have a bigger effect on
diminishing C. elegan movement due to actin
being a larger contributor to cell migration
than microtubules.
Hypothesis
  Prepared NGM media plates – 4 each
 Colchicine 1 millimolar
 Cytochalasin D 1 micromolar
 Retrieved worms
Methods  Chemotaxis Assay
 Kimwipe
 Extra time
 Statistics
Results

• No significant
difference in the
prepared agar
plates
  No direct conclusion of the effects of Cytochalsin D and
Colchicine on C. elegan movement
 Results show no detrimental effects
 Unsure if lack of movement was due to plates or
chemicals

Discussion  Chemicals on adult worms not as high as an effect as

on young
 Chemical concentration

(Etienne-Manneville, 2005), (Slobodnick, Shah, Pillinger, & Krasnokutsky, 2015)

  NGM plates – cooling to quickly – less time in water
bath
Future Research  Redo experiment to see if effects are different
 Test effects of microwaving NGM agar
  Information
 Chalfie, M., Thomson, J. N. (1982) Structural and Functional Diversity in the Neuronal
Microtubules of Caenorhabditis elegans. Journal of Cell Biology. Vol. 93 pp. 15-23
 Etienne-Manneville, S. (2005) Actin and Microtubules in Cell Motility: Which One is in Control?
Traffic. Vol. 5 pp. 470-477
 Slobodnick, A., Shah, B., Pillinger, M. H., & Krasnokutsky, S. (2015). Colchicine: Old and
New. The American Journal of Medicine, Vol. 128(5), 461–470
 Schliwa, M. (1982) Action of Cytochalasin D on Cytoskeleton Networks. The Journal of Cell
Biology. Vol. 92 pp. 79-91
Citations  Photos
 “Caenorhabditis Elegans.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2 May 2018,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caenorhabditis_elegans.
 “Colchicine.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 May 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colchicine.
 “Cytochalasin D.” Sigma-Aldrich, The Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology,
www.sigmaaldrich.com/catalog/substance/cytochalasind507622214477011?lang=en®ion=US.
 lift83. “RNAi Silencing of Unc-22 in C. Elegans.” YouTube, YouTube, 21 Sept. 2013,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QX8SA15e4A.