[
WormBook,
2006]
The architecture and dynamics of molecular networks can provide an understanding of complex biological processes complementary to that obtained from the in-depth study of single genes and proteins. With a completely sequenced and well-annotated genome, a fully characterized cell lineage, and powerful tools available to dissect development, Caenorhabditis elegans, among metazoans, provides an optimal system to bridge cellular and organismal biology with the global properties of macromolecular networks. This chapter considers omic technologies available for C. elegans to describe molecular networks - encompassing transcriptional and phenotypic profiling as well as physical interaction mapping - and discusses how their individual and integrated applications are paving the way for a network-level understanding of C. elegans biology.
[
Nature,
1998]
Bilaterally symmetrical animals must be able to integrate sensory inputs and coordinate motor control on both sides of the body. Thus, many neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) project their axons to the opposite side of the body, whereas others project axons that remain on the same side. In the latest issues of Cell and Neuron, the groups of Corey Goodman, Guy Tear, Marc Tessier-Lavigne and Cori Bargmann report that, from worms and flies to rats and humans, a common mechanism determines which axons cross the midline and which do not.