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Carbohydr Res,
2016]
This review discusses the advances in metabolic oligosaccharide engineering (MOE) from 2010 to 2016 with a focus on the structure, preparation, and reactivity of its chemical probes. A brief historical overview of MOE is followed by a comprehensive overview of the chemical probes currently available in the MOE molecular toolbox and the bioconjugation techniques they enable. The final part of the review focusses on the synthesis of a selection of probes and finishes with an outlook on recent and potential upcoming advances in the field of MOE.
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Gradolewski D, Redlarski G, Skarbek L, Tojza P, Lewczuk B, Zak A, Ambroziak D, Krawczuk M, Koncicki A, Jaworski J, Piechocki J, Jakubiuk K
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Biomed Res Int,
2015]
Current technologies have become a source of omnipresent electromagnetic pollution from generated electromagnetic fields and resulting electromagnetic radiation. In many cases this pollution is much stronger than any natural sources of electromagnetic fields or radiation. The harm caused by this pollution is still open to question since there is no clear and definitive evidence of its negative influence on humans. This is despite the fact that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields were classified as potentially carcinogenic. For these reasons, in recent decades a significant growth can be observed in scientific research in order to understand the influence of electromagnetic radiation on living organisms. However, for this type of research the appropriate selection of relevant model organisms is of great importance. It should be noted here that the great majority of scientific research papers published in this field concerned various tests performed on mammals, practically neglecting lower organisms. In that context the objective of this paper is to systematise our knowledge in this area, in which the influence of electromagnetic radiation on lower organisms was investigated, including bacteria, E. coli and B. subtilis, nematode, Caenorhabditis elegans, land snail, Helix pomatia, common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, and clawed frog, Xenopus laevis.
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Chembiochem,
2003]
Thank you so very much for inviting me to be here. It gives me a mingled sense of humility at how much I owe to others, and of joy that the collective work on the worm has been recognised in this way.
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Genetics,
2019]
The Genetics Society of America's (GSA) Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal honors researchers for lifetime achievement in genetics. The recipient of the 2018 Morgan Medal, Barbara J. Meyer of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the University of California, Berkeley, is recognized for her career-long, groundbreaking investigations of how chromosome behaviors are controlled. Meyer's work has revealed mechanisms of sex determination and dosage compensation in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> that continue to serve as the foundation of diverse areas of study on chromosome structure and function today, nearly 40 years after she began her work on the topic.
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Stud Hist Philos Biol Biomed Sci,
2012]
This paper argues that the history of the computer, of the practice of computation and of the notions of 'data' and 'programme' are essential for a critical account of the emergence and implications of data-driven research. In order to show this, I focus on the transition that the investigations on the worm C. elegans experienced in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology of Cambridge (UK). Throughout the 1980s, this research programme evolved from a study of the genetic basis of the worm's development and behaviour to a DNA mapping and sequencing initiative. By examining the changing computing technologies which were used at the Laboratory, I demonstrate that by the time of this transition researchers shifted from modelling the worm's genetic programme on a mainframe apparatus to writing minicomputer programs aimed at providing map and sequence data which was then circulated to other groups working on the genetics of C. elegans. The shift in the worm research should thus not be simply explained in the application of computers which transformed the project from hypothesis-driven to a data-intensive endeavour. The key factor was rather a historically specific technology-in-house and easy programmable minicomputers-which redefined the way of achieving the project's long-standing goal, leading the genetic programme to co-evolve with the practices of data production and distribution.
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Nature,
2002]
A humble nematode has wormed its way into the affection of the scientific community and helped to secure this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The award goes to three biologists whose work on the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans has yielded insights and spin-offs in such diverse fields as cancer research and modern
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Sci Aging Knowledge Environ,
2002]
This article reviews key events in the genetic analysis of aging in the worm. The events are presented in the form of a timeline and include landmark papers, key meetings, and the development of important funding agencies. I also speculate on events that might appear in this timeline if this review were written in the distant future.
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J Proteomics,
2010]
Much of our knowledge on heredity, development, physiology and the underlying cellular and molecular processes is derived from the studies of model, or reference, organisms. Despite the great variety of life, a common base of shared principles could be extracted by studying a few life forms, selected based on their amenability to experimental studies. Very briefly, the origins of a few model organisms are described, including E. coli, yeast, C. elegans, Drosophila, Xenopus, zebrafish, mouse, maize and Arabidopsis. These model organisms were chosen because of their importance and wide use, which made them systems of choice for genome-wide studies. Many of their genomes were between the first to be fully sequenced, opening unprecedented opportunities for large-scale transcriptomics and proteomics studies.
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Genetics,
1996]
I fell in love with Caenorhabditis elegans in the summer of '72. Our relationship was cemented four years later, 20 years ago now, by the publication of a paper in Genetics on C. elegans chromosome rearrangements (Herman et al. 1976). My pleasant assignment here is to describe the beginning of that work and to relate it to current worm cytogenetics and chromosome mechanics.
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Clin Med,
2003]
The recent award of a Nobel Prize to Sydney Brenner crowns an astonishingly distinguished scientific career. He must have come very close to winning it several times in the past. A colleague described him as 'a visionary who sees further into the future than anyone'. This is borne out by his decision - made 40 years ago - to study a one-millimetre long worm in detail to define the, biochemical and genetic control of its development and differentiation. The impact of these studies has been so profound, with a significant bearing on human physiology and disease, that over 400 laboratories worldwide have now adopted the worm as a research tool. In this article, a brief outline is given of his work on the worm and of some of the highlights of his brilliant career.