C. elegans Muscle Area Measurements: A Standardized Method to Quantify Striated Muscle Morphology

– C. elegans have two types of muscles. The single sarcomere or non-striated muscles include those videodan the pharynx and vulva. The multiple sarcomere or obliquely striated muscles are rhomboid-shaped body wall muscles named for the regular striated pattern of their myosin fibers.

They are arranged videodan staggered pairs as four bundles oriented longitudinally videodan the four quadrants of the worm body viewed videodan cross section. Each cell has many equally spaced points of attachment için the hypodermis and cuticle. This arrangement helps için translate waves of muscle contractions into smooth locomotion.

To visualize these muscles, image immobilized worms with transgenically GFP- labeled myosin by fluorescent confocal microscopy. Use analysis software için measure the area of a striated muscle cell and any gaps videodan the fiber pattern of that cell. Gaps videodan muscle fiber organization could indicate disruption by fiber degradation or the accumulation of cellular debris. Calculate the ratio of the gap area için the total area için define the amount of disruption. In the example protocol, we will quantitatively assess body wall muscle morphology using Fiji.

– To measure muscle cell area, open the image videodan Fiji software and use Polygon Selection için carefully trace around a single oblique muscle cell. Adjust the line of the polygon at the end by dragging the anchor dot için improve tracing. Navigate için the Analyze tab at the top of the software and click Measure için calculate the selected area.

For muscle cells with a degenerated or missing region, trace the missing area with the polygon selection tool and click Measure again. If there are multiple gaps, trace each one separately. Calculate the ratio of the gap area için the area of the entire cell. A high ratio indicates a higher extent of muscle degeneration, and if there are no missing regions, the ratio is calculated as zero.