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NemaFlex: a microfluidics-based technology for standardized measurement of muscular strength of C. elegans

Rahman, Mizanour; Hewitt, Jennifer E.; Van-Bussell, Frank; Edwards, Hunter; Blawzdziewicz, Jerzy; Szewczyk, Nathaniel J.; Driscoll, Monica; Vanapalli, Siva A.

NemaFlex: a microfluidics-based technology for standardized measurement of muscular strength of C. elegans Thumbnail


Authors

Mizanour Rahman

Jennifer E. Hewitt

Frank Van-Bussell

Hunter Edwards

Jerzy Blawzdziewicz

Nathaniel J. Szewczyk

Monica Driscoll

Siva A. Vanapalli



Abstract

Muscle strength is a functional measure of quality of life in humans. Declines in muscle strength are manifested in diseases as well as during inactivity, aging, and space travel. With conserved muscle biology, the simple genetic model C. elegans is a high throughput platform in which to identify molecular mechanisms causing muscle strength loss and to develop interventions based on diet, exercise, and drugs. In the clinic, standardized strength measures are essential to quantitate changes in patients; however, analogous standards have not been recapitulated in the C. elegans model since force generation fluctuates based on animal behavior and locomotion. Here, we report a microfluidics-based system for strength measurement that we call ‘NemaFlex’, based on pillar deflection as the nematode crawls through a forest of pillars. We have optimized the micropillar forest design and identified robust measurement conditions that yield a measure of strength that is independent of behavior and gait. Validation studies using a muscle contracting agent and mutants confirm that NemaFlex can reliably score muscular strength in C. elegans. Additionally, we report a scaling factor to account for animal size that is consistent with a biomechanics model and enables comparative strength studies of mutants. Taken together, our findings anchor NemaFlex for applications in genetic and drug screens, for defining molecular and cellular circuits of neuromuscular function, and for dissection of degenerative processes in disuse, aging, and disease.

Citation

Rahman, M., Hewitt, J. E., Van-Bussell, F., Edwards, H., Blawzdziewicz, J., Szewczyk, N. J., …Vanapalli, S. A. (2018). NemaFlex: a microfluidics-based technology for standardized measurement of muscular strength of C. elegans. Lab on a Chip, 15, https://doi.org/10.1039/C8LC00103K

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jun 5, 2018
Online Publication Date Jun 7, 2018
Publication Date Aug 7, 2018
Deposit Date Jun 6, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Lab on a Chip
Print ISSN 1473-0197
Electronic ISSN 1473-0189
Publisher Royal Society of Chemistry
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 15
DOI https://doi.org/10.1039/C8LC00103K
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/948906
Publisher URL http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2018/lc/c8lc00103k#!divAbstract

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