Effects of Sterols on the Development and Aging of Caenorhabditis elegans

Although
Caenorhabditis elegans
lacks several components of the
de novo
sterol biosynthetic pathway, it requires sterols as essential nutrients. Supplemental cholesterol undergoes extensive enzymatic modification in
C. elegans
to form certain sterols of unknown function. Since sterol metabolism in
C. elegans
differs from that in other species, such as mammals and yeast, it is important to examine how sterols regulate worm physiology. To examine the functions of sterols in
C. elegans
, a sterol-feeding experiment was carried out and several critical parameters, such as brood size, growth rate, and life span, were measured. In addition, the change in lipid distribution in
C. elegans
can be both qualitatively and quantitatively determined by various methods, including staining and chromatographic techniques. Taken together, the effects of sterols on
C. elegans
are very prominent and can be easily assessed using the techniques described here.