Worm Breeder's Gazette submission deadline

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Dear Worm Researchers,

The deadline for submissions for the next issue of The Worm Breeder’s Gazette is Monday, March 10. The date is somewhat flexible, so if you need an extra day or two, please email me.

In addition to articles summarizing research results, we also welcome announcements, editorials, and artwork. We would also like to include articles describing the use of nematodes in teaching. In short, we will include anything that would be of interest to researchers or teachers of nematode biology.

Articles should be a single page in length and should be submitted through our web site: http://www.wormbook.org/wbg/. You should be able to register on the Gazette site, but it may take as much as a day before you receive email confirmation. If you have trouble registering, or don’t want to fool with it, please send your article to me and I will upload it for you.
Thank you for your interest in The Worm Breeder’s Gazette.

Sincerely,

Jane

Onchocerca volvulus

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The new release (WS241) of WormBase includes Onchocerca volvulus, a filiarial nematode of clade III.

Onchocerca volvulus is a gonochoristic filarial nematode parasite of humans causing Onchocerciasis. Onchocerciasis, or River Blindness, is a neglected tropical disease (NTD) which affects over 37 million people, mainly in Africa. It is a severely debilitating disease, which is transmitted to humans by the bite of Simulium blackflies that live and breed near fast-flowing streams and rivers.

As it has been added as core WormBase nematode, we would like to welcome feedback from the community to improve the curation and representation of this new member species.

Topic Curation – Small RNA Biogenesis

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WormBase will do a themed release for WS242, which will focus on the curation of small RNA biogenesis.

This will include new publications, ontologies, interactions, gene models and more.

During the course of the curation effort, 933 protein coding genes of C.elegans / C.remanei / C.briggsae / C.japonica / C.brenneri / B.malayi and O.volvulus will be investigated. In addition new ncRNA genes will be added to C.remanei / C.briggsae / C.japonica / C.brenneri and O.volvulus.

Dirofilaria immitis

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The genome of the heartworm Dirofilaria immitis has been added to the upcoming WS240 release of WormBase. The data shown is based on the latest version of the genome and geneset provided by the Blaxter lab in Edinburgh.

D.immitis is an important parasite of dogs and transmitted by mosquitos in warmer climate zones (especially throughout southern Europe and the Americas) and is also commonly known as dog heart worm.

Panagrellus redivivus

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Panagrellus redivivus, a free-living nematode often used to study evolution of developmental and behavioural processes in C.elegans has been added to the WS240 release of WormBase.

While its main importance for WormBase is for evolutionary conservation of pathways,P.redivivus is also used as easy to breed microworm feed in aquaculture.

We would like to thank Marissa Macchietto for providing us the data which is also available at the INSDC and as published in Genetics.