About

Ann Rougvie, PhD, is a professor affiliated with the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology & Development at the University of Minnesota Medical School. The provided page does not include specific details about her research focus, background, or key contributions.

Research topics

• Genetics
• Biology
• Cell biology
• Evolutionary biology
• Computational biology

Selected publications

• The Caenorhabditis Genetics Center Curated Special Collections: a guide to protein degradation systems

  Genetics · 2026-01-27

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  The Caenorhabditis Genetics Center is launching a new website feature-"Curated Special Collections"-designed to help researchers navigate the ever-evolving lists of strains harboring specialized genetic tools. Each collection will be assembled by experts who provide an overview of the system and curate the strains and their associated information as the collection expands. A companion review article will provide an in-depth analysis of each tool collection, including comparisons of different methods and modifications, discussion of their advantages and limitations, and practical guidance for getting started. The first collection in this series, Protein Degradation Systems, focuses on 2 protein depletion methods: (i) the auxin-inducible and (ii) ZIF-1/ZF1 degradation systems. Both methods are increasingly popular in Caenorhabditis elegans research because they allow rapid and precise temporal and spatial control over protein depletion. The inaugural collection and this companion review, together with additional collections forthcoming, will help researchers identify the most suitable approaches and strains for their experiments. Importantly, these collections will also lower the barrier for investigators primarily working in other model organisms to gain entry to the worm as a system for testing their ideas.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• From nematode to Nobel: How community-shared resources fueled the rise of <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as a research organism

  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2025-11-24 · 3 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Experimental organisms such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans are fundamental to biological discovery. The success of C. elegans research has been greatly enabled by infrastructure that allows thousands of scientists to share and access research materials and unpublished information efficiently. Here, we celebrate the worm by interweaving vignettes describing four Nobel Prize–winning discoveries with descriptions of how the major NIH-supported research resources—the Caenorhabditis Genetics Center, WormBase, and WormAtlas—provide invaluable support for all C. elegans research. The synergy between investigation and the availability of shared resources for the C. elegans community is a paradigm for all model organism research, and the continued support of such community research resources will be essential for maximizing impactful discoveries in the future.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• CGC1, a new reference genome for <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>

  Genome Research · 2025-07-15 · 6 citations

  articleOpen access

  The original 100.3 Mb reference genome for Caenorhabditis elegans , generated from the wild-type laboratory strain N2, has been crucial for analysis of C. elegans since 1998 and has been considered complete since 2005. Unexpectedly, this long-standing reference was shown to be incomplete in 2019 by a genome assembly from the N2-derived strain VC2010. Moreover, genetically divergent versions of N2 have arisen over decades of research and hindered reproducibility of C. elegans genetics and genomics. Here we provide a 106.4 Mb gap-free, telomere-to-telomere genome assembly of C. elegans , generated from CGC1, an isogenic derivative of the N2 strain. We use improved long-read sequencing and manual assembly of 43 recalcitrant genomic regions to overcome deficiencies of prior N2 and VC2010 assemblies and to assemble tandem repeat loci, including a 772 kb sequence for the 45S rRNA genes. Although many differences from earlier assemblies come from repeat regions, unique additions to the genome are also found. Of 19,972 protein-coding genes in the N2 assembly, 19,790 (99.1%) encode products that are unchanged in the CGC1 assembly. The CGC1 assembly also may encode 183 new protein-coding and 163 new ncRNA genes. CGC1 thus provides both a completely defined reference genome and corresponding isogenic wild-type strain for C. elegans , allowing unique opportunities for model and systems biology.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• CGC1, a new reference genome for <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2024 · 4 citations

  • Biology
  • Computational biology
  • Genetics

  , allowing unique opportunities for model and systems biology.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• <i>ztf-16</i> is a novel heterochronic modulator that opposes adult cell fate in dauer and continuous life histories in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2022 · 5 citations

  • Biology
  • Cell biology
  • Genetics

  Abstract Animal development is a complex yet robust process that can withstand lengthy and variable interruptions. In Caenorhabditis elegans, adverse conditions can trigger entry into dauer, a stress-resistant, developmentally arrested diapause stage that occurs midway through larval development. Favorable conditions promote recovery from dauer, and post-dauer larvae develop normally. During larval development, epidermal seam cells are multipotent and divide at each stage. At adulthood, seam cells differentiate and express the adult-specific COL-19 collagen. The progression of cell fates is controlled by a network of genes called the heterochronic pathway, including the LIN-29 transcription factor that directly activates col-19 expression, and the let-7 microRNA that indirectly promotes lin-29 expression. Notably, most known heterochronic genes that oppose adult cell fate act only during continuous development; these genes are dispensable after dauer. We performed a genetic screen for heterochronic genes that act after dauer and identified ztf-16, encoding a zinc finger transcription factor in the hunchback/Ikaros- like family. We found that ztf-16 is required to prevent precocious expression of the adult cell fate marker col-19p::gfp equally during both life histories, making ztf-16(-) the first precocious heterochronic mutant to be unaffected by dauer. Our data indicate that ztf-16 regulates col-19p::gfp via a novel, lin-29- independent mechanism. Endogenous ztf-16b::gfp expression is regulated by let-7 and ztf-16 acts genetically downstream of let-7, but lin-29 is not required for col-19p::gfp expression in ztf-16 mutant larvae or adults. Finally, mRNA-seq experiments identified genes whose expression is regulated by ztf-16 in each life history. Taken together, this work illuminates a novel aspect of the heterochronic pathway relevant to both dauer and non-dauer development.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Recompleting the <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> genome

  Genome Research · 2019-05-23 · 168 citations

  articleOpen access

  Caenorhabditis elegans was the first multicellular eukaryotic genome sequenced to apparent completion. Although this assembly employed a standard C. elegans strain (N2), it used sequence data from several laboratories, with DNA propagated in bacteria and yeast. Thus, the N2 assembly has many differences from any C. elegans available today. To provide a more accurate C. elegans genome, we performed long-read assembly of VC2010, a modern strain derived from N2. Our VC2010 assembly has 99.98% identity to N2 but with an additional 1.8 Mb including tandem repeat expansions and genome duplications. For 116 structural discrepancies between N2 and VC2010, 97 structures matching VC2010 (84%) were also found in two outgroup strains, implying deficiencies in N2. Over 98% of N2 genes encoded unchanged products in VC2010; moreover, we predicted ≥53 new genes in VC2010. The recompleted genome of C. elegans should be a valuable resource for genetics, genomics, and systems biology.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Caenorhabditis Genetics Center (CGC) and the Caenorhabditis elegans Natural Diversity Resource

  2019-07-16 · 4 citations

  book-chapterSenior author

  70Research using C. elegans has led to fundamental insights into basic biological mechanisms, including the genetic basis of programmed cell death and cell signaling, the discovery of microRNAs, and the identification and subsequent elucidation of the mechanism of RNA interference in animals, and has been used to increase our understanding of the mechanisms of cancer progression and other diseases including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Caenorhabditis elegans is an androdioecious (hermaphrodite-male) species with a short generation time. The worms develop externally and are transparent, allowing observation of developmental events throughout an animal’s entire life history. The Caenorhabditis Genetics Center (CGC) was established in 1979 at the University of Missouri and subsequently moved to the University of Minnesota. During its first year in operation in MO, the center distributed a mere 15 strains. In 2013, 31,242 strains were shipped by the CGC. The CG Center’s collection contains ~20,700 genetically distinct strains of C. elegans in addition to more than 40 species in the genus. The work of the CGC is complemented by the activities of Wormbase, WormAtlas, and the Caenorhabditis elegans Natural Diversity Resource.

  PublisherDOI

• CRISPR/Cas9 Methodology for the Generation of Knockout Deletions in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>

  G3 Genes Genomes Genetics · 2018-11-12 · 111 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract The Caenorhabditis elegans Gene Knockout Consortium is tasked with obtaining null mutations in each of the more than 20,000 open reading frames (ORFs) of this organism. To date, approximately 15,000 ORFs have associated putative null alleles. As there has been substantial success in using CRISPR/Cas9 in C. elegans, this appears to be the most promising technique to complete the task. To enhance the efficiency of using CRISPR/Cas9 to generate gene deletions in C. elegans we provide a web-based interface to access our database of guide RNAs (http://genome.sfu.ca/crispr). When coupled with previously developed selection vectors, optimization for homology arm length, and the use of purified Cas9 protein, we demonstrate a robust and effective protocol for generating deletions for this large-scale project. Debate and speculation in the larger scientific community concerning off-target effects due to non-specific Cas9 cutting has prompted us to investigate through whole genome sequencing the occurrence of single nucleotide variants and indels accompanying targeted deletions. We did not detect any off-site variants above the natural spontaneous mutation rate and therefore conclude that this modified protocol does not generate off-target events to any significant degree in C. elegans. We did, however, observe a number of non-specific alterations at the target site itself following the Cas9-induced double-strand break and offer a protocol for best practice quality control for such events.

  PublisherDOI

• Optimizing guide RNA selection and CRISPR/Cas9 methodology for efficient generation of deletions in <i>C. elegans</i>

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2018-06-30 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access

  Abstract The Caenorhabditis elegans Gene Knockout (KO) Consortium is tasked with obtaining null mutations in each of the more than 20,000 open reading frames (ORFs) of this organism. To date, approximately15,000 ORFs have associated putative null alleles. A directed approach using CRISPR/Cas9 methodology is the most promising technique to complete the task. While there has been substantial success in using CRISPR/Cas9 in C. elegans , there has been little emphasis on optimizing the method for generating large insertions/deletions in this organism. To enhance the efficiency of using CRISPR/Cas9 to generate gene knockouts in C. elegans we have developed an online species-specific guide RNA selection tool ( http://genome.sfu.ca/crispr ). When coupled with previously developed selection vectors, optimization for homology arm length, and the use of purified Cas9 protein, we demonstrate a robust, efficient and effective protocol for generating deletions. Debate and speculation in the larger scientific community about off- target effects due to non-specific Cas9 cutting has prompted us to investigate through whole genome sequencing the occurrence of single nucleotide variants and indels accompanying targeted deletions. We did not detect any off-site variants above the natural spontaneous mutation rate and therefore conclude this modified protocol does not generate off-target events to any significant degree in C. elegans.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Developmental timing of epidermal seam cells in Caenorhabditis elegans

  University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy (University of Minnesota) · 2017-01-01

  articleOpen accessSenior author
  Publisher

Recent grants

• Caenorhabditis Genetics Center

  NIH · $9.7M · 2012–2027

• Enhancing the C. elegans animal resource through genome editing

  NIH · $5.1M · 2017–2026

• NIH Grant R01GM050227

  NIH · $3.0M · 2012

• Nutritional Control of Developmental Programs

  NSF · $480k · 2005–2010

Frequent coauthors

• Masamitsu Fukuyama

  The University of Tokyo

  6 shared

• John T. Lis

  Cornell University

  6 shared

• Mark L. Edgley

  University of British Columbia

  5 shared

• Barbara H. Reitsma

  4 shared

• T.G. Squires

  4 shared

• Bruce A. Smith

  University of Iowa

  4 shared

• Edward S. Yeung

  4 shared

• Eric A. Miller

  National Cancer Institute

  4 shared