Mounting Caenorhabditis elegans embryos for live imaging of embryogenesis

Abstract

Caenorhabditis elegans has been a key model organism for biomedical research. Light microscopy has played a central role in C. elegans biology. C. elegans is transparent throughout its life cycle, and its physical size, from 50 µm (embryos) to 1 mm (adults), is well suited for light microscopy. Furthermore, it has an invariant body plan that arises from an invariant cell lineage. A wide range of biological processes, from patterns of gene expression to cell migration to neuronal activity, can be readily observed in single cells with a well-defined developmental context. This protocol describes how to collect and mount young C. elegans embryos for live imaging throughout embryogenesis.