Live Imaging of Caenorhabditis elegans: preparation of samples.

Caenorhabditis elegans, a small (adults are ~1 mm long), free-living soil nematode that feeds on bacteria, is an ideal organism for applying various live microscopy techniques. The organism is transparent, thus it is possible to microscopically analyze the whole animal throughout its entire life. Its complete cell lineage is known, making it possible to follow developmental and differentiation processes in real time. Furthermore, the development of transgenic techniques, as well as RNA interference (RNAi) methods and sophisticated genetic analyses, and the availability of a large collection of mutant lines all make C. elegans especially attractive for live microscopy. This protocol describes useful techniques for preparing C. elegans for live microscopic analysis. Details of sample preparation depend on the developmental stage of the worm to be studied.