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Large-scale C. elegans Sample Prep

Large Scale Synchronized C. elegans Beads
(use with 500,000 synchronized worms minimum)

Large Scale Sync'd C. elegans Beads

Large or small-scale biochemistry work (e.g. Co-IP, ChIP, MS) and physiological experiments (e.g. metabolite analysis, HPLC) require large quantities (often in millions) of worms.

Large scale production of synchronized worms requires specialized equipment and many hours of hands-on preparations. The process is labor intensive and often tedious.

Our Large-scale Sychronized C. elegans Beads can be used for large or small-scale biochemistry work, or any experiment where a large amount of freshly prepared worm lysate is required.

The product is in the form of 5mm flash-frozen beads, which enables rapid resuspension to preserve the integrity of the sample. Each unit will allow you to work with minimally 500k synchronized worms.

Our Offerings

  • Large scale production of synchronized Day 01 adult worm beads, harvested as batches of 500K worms per unit.
  • Worms are washed clean of bacteria, and flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen as small worm “beads” in M9 buffer.
  • Customizations/Add-ons include freezing directly in a lysis buffer or growing worms in liquid culture.

Ordering Information

Cat. No.DescriptionPrice
WBP_STD Standard worm beads1$2,000
WBP_CSAClient-supplied worm strain2$95
WBP_LBAFreezing worms in lysis buffer3$105
WBP_LCAGrowing worms in liquid culture$250


1 - One (1) unit of Day 01 adult worms, equivalent to min. 500,000 worms.
2 - Slow-growing and/or small brood-size strains may incur additional cost; please contact us to discuss the specifics of your chosen strain.
3 - Formulated by InVivo Biosystems.

Shipping & Storage

  • The beads are packed and shipped in a 50mL conical tube.
  • Frozen material is stored at -80*C and delivered overnight on dry ice.  
  • Received material must be stored at -80°C until ready for use.  

Est. Delivery: 4 weeks  (after worms are received).

Instructions for Using Large Scale Synchronized Worm Beads

Materials and equipment:

  • Lysis buffer pre-chilled to 4°C.
  • Protease inhibitors
  • Ice and ice bucket.
  • Tissue homogenizing instrument, e.g. probe sonicator, Dounce homogenizer, bead mill, etc.
  • Refrigerated centrifuge.

Procedure:

  1. Pre-chill all buffers and containers.
  2. Remove Large Scale Synchronized Worm Beads from -80°C. Keep on ice.
  3. Immediately immerse beads in 1 or more volumes of lysis buffer with protease inhibitors.
  4. Thaw quickly and resuspend thoroughly.
  5. Lyse worms using probe sonication or your choice of tissue disruption method.* 
  6. Transfer to ultracentrifuge tube and centrifuge at >25,000g for 10min. (Alternatively, centrifuge at 15,000g in benchtop centrifuge.)
  7. Transfer supernatant to a clean, pre-chilled container for downstream use.

*Evaluate lysis efficiency by collecting small samples of crude lysate, pellet, and supernatant and analyzing by SDS-PAGE.

Materials and equipment:

  • Laemmli sample loading buffer (2X or 4X)
  • Ice and ice bucket.
  • Benchtop centrifuge.
  • Heat block or heat plate
  • Equipment for SDS-PAGE
  • Equipment for Western blotting (if desired)

Procedure:

  1. Remove Large Scale Synchronized Worm Beads from -80°C. Keep on ice.
  2. Remove a single Worm Bead and return the rest to -80°C.
  3. Add Laemmli Sample buffer to 1X at 500µl (dilute or concentrate as needed).
  4. Boil sample for 5min (or heat at 37°C for 10min for sensitive applications).
  5. Spin at maximum speed (~15,000 x g) in benchtop centrifuge.
  6. Load 1-50µl of supernatant on separating gel.
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