Spatiotemporal
manipulation of gene expression is essential for dissecting gene function,
elucidating developmental processes, and uncovering complex physiological
mechanisms. As a model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans has played an
important role in basic biology research and provides an
ideal experimental system for achieving such precise control. With the
development of single-copy transgenesis, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing,
and conditional recombination and inducible systems, the genetic toolkits for
spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression, and even at the single-cell-resolution,
have been greatly expanded in C. elegans. In this review, we
systematically summarize the major strategies for spatiotemporal regulation of
gene expression in C. elegans, with a focus on tissue-specific RNA
interference, conditional protein degradation systems, inducible
transcriptional regulation systems, and recently developed approaches such as
Ribo-on/Ribo-off. These methods are compared in terms of regulatory levels,
technical advantages, limitations, and suitable applications. Together, these
tools cover multiple layers of regulation, ranging from transcriptional and
post-transcriptional control to protein-level manipulation, and provide
powerful approaches for developmental biology, aging, inter-tissue signaling,
and disease models, while also establishing a methodological foundation for
dissecting cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous regulatory mechanisms in
complex biological processes.
Yimeng Wang, Xiao Zang
. Advances
in tools and strategies for spatiotemporal regulation of gene expression in Caenorhabditis
elegans[J]. Hereditas(Beijing), 0
: 0
.
DOI: 10.16288/j.yczz.26-140