Genetic transformation of nematodes using arrays of micromechanical piercing structures

Foreign genes were expressed in the nematode Heterorhabditis bacteriophora using a new micro-mechanical device to inject DNA-coated microprobe through the nematode cuticle. After introduction of a plasmid in which a Caenorhabditis elegans 16-kDa heat shock promoter was fused to Escherichia coli, a β-galactosidase gene was expressed in the progeny of the injected worms. The tip of the microprobe penetrated through the nematode cuticle without causing injury to the nematode, and about 8% of the total progeny tested expressed the foreign gene. We describe and validate a new and efficient genetic transformation system for nematodes. The method is quick and easy to use.