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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 1999;281:222.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Human Genome Project researchers from the United States and Great Britain for the first time have worked out a virtually complete genetic blueprint for a multicelled organism, the tiny roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. The achievement, hailed as a milestone in the ongoing multinational effort to identify all human genes and understand their function, was reported in the December 11 issue of Science.

The complete genetic blueprint of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans is expected to offer insights into the human genome. (Photo credit: James King-Holmes)

Caenorhabditis elegans is far more complex than the microbes whose genetic sequences have been revealed to date and shares many similarities with humans, including the formation of complex tissues and organ systems. Researchers have used the 959-cell roundworm as an important model system for many types of studies, including research on early development, the nervous system, and aging.

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